Benjamin Alexander made history this week when he qualified for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. That made him the first Jamaican skier to make the Olympics.
But his story didn’t start on the slopes.
The former engineering student became a DJ and traveled the world. He lived in countries across the globe, from the United States to Asia.
But his two trips to Canada six years ago changed the trajectory of his life.
On his first trip, he fell in love with the scenery.
On his second trip as a DJ, he decided to give skiing a try. And while it wasn’t an instant success, it triggered his desire to pursue the sport.
“I just chose one green run [the easiest] and I just kept doing the same run over and over again,” Alexander told BBC.com. “The first time I went on this run I think I fell 27 times. Great, that’s my baseline. Let’s see if I can improve that.”
And so he kept trying, even attending the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang as a fan.
A year later, he dedicated himself to the sport, hitting the slopes constantly in an effort to qualify and duplicate the success of the legendary Jamaican bobsled team portrayed in the 1988 film, “Cool Runnings.”
The pilot of that bobsled team, Dudley Stokes, became his mentor and has helped him navigate a path rarely taken by Jamaicans.
“You never know who you’re reaching, so Benjamin Alexander came as a surprise to me,” said Stokes in an interview with NBC Sports.
Stokes eventually saw Alexander’s conviction and commitment and decided to mentor him.
“I offered to mentor him along the way, to give him some of the benefit of my experience,” said Dudley. “I know that a lot will come of this regardless of what happens.”
There have only been 14 Jamaican athletes across 3 sports (two-man bobsled, two-woman bobsled and four-man bobsled) who competed at the Winter Games.
Now the 38-year-old former DJ, who has been skiing competitively for essentially only 3 years, will be the 15th athlete to represent Jamaica at the Winter Olympics.
Benjamin Alexander, born to a Jamaican father and English mother, understands what he represents, both for his country and in the eyes of the world.
“When I began this mission, it was really a selfish pursuit – let’s see where I can take this for myself,” said Alexander. “Then after the incident that happened last year with George Floyd, I’ve received so much attention and support as a result of people trying to champion diversity in winter sports.
“Now, I almost feel like I carry this pressure to perform and to do this thing on my shoulders for diversity in winter sports, so it’s become much bigger.”
Benjamin Alexander manifests the dreams of other Jamaican winter sports athletes like the Jamaican hockey team, which has 2026 Olympic dreams.
In a few weeks, he will show the world what he can do. And no matter the outcome, he wants his story to inspire others.
“I’m very excited to be that person that can show that it doesn’t matter what your background is, socio-economic or race, you have a place in winter sports.”
Big up to Benjamin Alexander. His place in Olympic history is secure and we’ll be watching this February.
