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US Olympic bobsled member Jasmine Jones is competing in her first ever Olympics in Milan Cortina.
As the mother of a five-year-old and an Air Force veteran, the pride of representing the United States has brought her game “to a different caliber.”
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Kaysha Love and Jasmine Jones of the United States compete during the Two Women’s Bobsled heat 2 on day five of the 2025 IBSF World Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg on March 14, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
“I want to be able to represent my country, as well as being an athlete for my country, it definitely brings a different meaning and a different caliber. I feel like there are so few people who do both at the same time, and I’m honored to have this opportunity to represent both. I’m grateful to be an Airman and represent my country in that aspect,” Jones told Pakinomist Digital.
“It definitely ties it together and gives a different meaning and how much more I have to give.”
Jones narrowly missed qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. So she joined the Air Force in April 2023, allowing her to undergo a much more rigorous training routine, which she credits for her ability to qualify for this year’s Games.
“I’m just grateful to be an Airman,” she said. “Going into the WCAT program that allowed me to really get my training in the offseason allowed me to get to this point … to have that offseason training to be able to really focus and put in the work that happened with this moment.”
Jones had her daughter in 2021 and was looking for stability as a means of achieving her goal of reaching the Olympics. The Air Force gave her that path.
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Olympian Jasmine Jones of Team United States poses for a photo on February 3, 2026 ahead of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. (IOC via Getty Images)
“I wanted to do something that would give me more stability, there was a time when I was working my civilian job and trying to train at the same time and it just wasn’t enough. I know I wanted to dedicate my time to bobsled,” Jones said.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is resilience, and I feel like that plays a role where you go into the basics and you wake up early, you follow orders, you get the discipline you need, and that goes into bobsledding… so I want to transition from basic training and have that discipline also translate into just knowing exactly what to do.”
Jones’ appreciation of representing the United States comes at a time when other American Olympians are openly critical of their country in Italy. Team USA athletes Hunter Hess, Amber Glenn and Mikaela Shiffrin have all made statements criticizing the state of the United States while competing in Italy.
But Jones now joins ice hockey player Brady Tkachuk in openly praising the United States and expressing honor and gratitude for representing it in Milano Cortina.
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Jones said she hasn’t looked at social media at all lately, so she’s unaware of any criticism of her country from Team USA teammates.
Team USA fans can send Jones and teammate Kelly Curtis, who is also currently competing in Italy, a personal letter through a program involving a partnership between Team USA and Sadboxx.
