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Jasmine Jones became an overnight hero to Americans craving patriotism as they watch the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
In an interview with Pakinomist Digital this week, the first-time Olympic bobsledder and Air Force member expressed how proud she is to represent her country, her military branch and her family in Italy.
The display of patriotism garnered viral praise on social media from Americans hungry for an Olympian to publicly do the country proud this winter.
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Jones said her journey to reach this point has been defined by overcoming adversity and a devotion to family.
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)
Jones is a young mother who wants to set an honorable example for her daughter
Jones had her daughter, Jade, in 2021. They will celebrate her fifth birthday at the end of the month.
Today, as she prepares to compete in her first Olympics, she takes pride in “being able to be a mom and show my daughter exactly how to go through different obstacles and what it means to overcome them.”
Jones hopes her daughter will learn from her mother’s example of joining the Air Force to further her athletic career.
“Being able to show her different ways, you know, you can join the Air Force, you can have these different things as well as being an athlete, go on and it’s more meaningful to say the least,” Jones said.
The daughter is currently being looked after by Jones’ mother at home in the US while Jones competes in Italy.
“I’m glad to have my mom. She takes her in the winter,” Jones said. “I’m thankful that my mom took her in and allowed her to be there in Pennsylvania.”
Jones will challenge the Germans
In Milan Cortina, Jones is extra motivated to take on the German elite team.
“The Germans are always a competitor in our team sports. They’re definitely great athletes, they’ve got speed and everything, and I’m definitely excited to go toe-to-toe with them,” Jones said.
Team Germany is considered the most dominant force in international bobsledding. In 2024, they won 11 of 12 medals at the World Championships and secured 28 World Cup medals at the start of 2026, while the rest of the world combined won only two.
“I’m definitely here to fight the best athletes in the world, and I consider myeslf one of the best athletes in the world, and I’m just really excited to go out there and make that comparison with them,” Jones added.
“It gives more of that fire in us.”
Jones had to overcome eight crashes in a single year, but it helped her define her role
In the 2024-25 season, Jones said she suffered eight crashes while competing and training for bobsled.
“On one particular track, it was about five times,” Jones said.
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)
“When you crash, it takes a toll physically, it takes a toll mentally, and going through those crashes, I just felt really down on myself because I knew I really wanted to do so much more and try to give it my all, right from the start. So when I went through that, I definitely wanted to rethink how I approach it with my training.”
For Jones, the experience helped her define her goal of becoming a prominent brakeman in the sport.
A bobsled brakeman is the rear athlete responsible for providing maximum acceleration during the first push, riding in the back to maintain aerodynamics, and pulling the brake lever to stop the sled only after crossing the finish line. They are crucial for both the explosive start and safe deceleration.
“If I can make myself a standout brakeman then I can be put in different positions to make sure I don’t get brought down again and push my best,” she said.
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Jones credits her Air Force training with helping her reach her first Olympics
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 WCAP program, which allowed me to really get my training in the offseason, allowed me to get to this point. … Having that offseason training to be able to really focus and put in the work. It happened with this moment.”
Team USA fans can send Jones and teammate Kelly Curtis, who also competes in Italy, a personal letter through a program involving a partnership between Team USA and Sandboxx.
After giving birth to her daughter in 2021, she was looking for stability as a means of achieving her goal of reaching the Olympics. The Air Force gave her that path.
“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 having that discipline also translate into just knowing exactly what I’m doing.”
Jones follows a rigorous heavyweight training routine
American Olympian Jasmine Jones competes in the bobsled (Getty Images)
Jones’ Air Force training includes plenty of powerlifting.
“I’m very power-based, where I do a lot of squats, cleans and everything,” Jones said.
But the hardest training she deals with, and still struggles with, is snooping.
A snatch workout consists of an advanced Olympic lifting movement in which a barbell is lifted from the ground to overhead in one, fluid, continuous motion. It is a full-body, high-intensity exercise that requires explosive power, strength, speed and coordination.
“Snatches are something I struggle with personally,” Jones said. “Sometimes I struggle with that.”
In a sport like bobsled, it is important to maintain a certain weight. So it is also reflected in her diet, but not to a Tom Brady-esque degree.
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“In our sport, we’re pretty strict about rules when it comes to weight guidelines,” Jones said. “In a two-woman sled, both the pilot and the brakeman must weigh a maximum of 80 kilos[grams]. And throughout the season I make sure I stay under 80 kilos.
“I still eat pretty clean, but I don’t shy away from the sweet stuff either. So I manage to have that balance after all. I feel like when I focus too much on trying to eat clean, that’s when I gain the most weight.”
