ISRAEL (VINnews)-Israel’s bobsleigh team, led by pilot A.J. Edelman, has qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, marking a historic first for the Jewish state in the sport.
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Edelman, Israel’s first Orthodox Winter Olympian and a Boston native who made aliyah in 2016, learned of the qualification during a blood test.
“There was a needle in my arm,” Edelman told JNS. “I was looking at my phone to distract myself, because I don’t do very well with needles, and the little message indicator kind of popped down with a message saying ‘congratulations.’”
He jumped up in excitement, pulling the needle out of his arm.
This marks Edelman’s second Olympic appearance, following his competition in skeleton at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. He described the moment as lifting a “monumental weight” of 12 years off his shoulders.
Edelman, who grew up in a Modern Orthodox home, views the Olympics as a tool to inspire Jewish involvement in sports.
“I never wanted to be an Olympian,” he said. “For me, the Olympics are a tool, and they’re a tool of changing how the Jewish community views itself in sport.”
Initially approached to join Israel’s hockey team as a former MIT goalie, Edelman chose bobsleigh for greater impact. The sport is among the most challenging to qualify for, requiring two or four athletes to pilot a sled at speeds exceeding 90 mph down an icy track, with high risks of crashes.
Bobsleigh demands significant funding — the U.S. program reportedly exceeds $8 million — but Israel’s effort operated with far fewer resources.
Edelman deliberately pursued the “impossible” path over easier options like speed skating to demonstrate Jewish and Israeli resilience.
“Speed-skating would’ve been a far easier path forward,” he said. “But I thought if this is the story I’m going to have — between a journey that was basically impossible and a journey that’s likely — I would want to take the impossible.”
Yael Arad, chair of the Israeli Olympic Committee and a 1992 Olympic silver medalist in judo — Israel’s first-ever Olympic medal — called Edelman “a real phenomenon.”
“His greatest strength is his determination and stubbornness,” Arad said. “He made an extreme and unbelievable journey, driven by passion, inspiring many people to believe in his dream and bringing in several highly motivated athletes to run alongside him.”
She added that Edelman “shows the young Jewish generation what resilience truly means, and I am sure his signature will have a meaningful impact.”
The team’s qualification follows years of building the program, including overcoming challenges like limited infrastructure and, in recent years, some members’ IDF reserve duty amid regional conflicts.
Edelman, nicknamed the “Hebrew Hammer,” aims to foster Jewish pride and encourage young Jews to pursue athletic greatness. The squad’s journey has drawn comparisons to the Jamaican bobsled team immortalized in the film “Cool Runnings,” with Edelman calling it Israel’s “Shul Runnings” moment.
The four-man team includes Edelman as pilot, alongside teammates Menachem Chen, Ward Fawarsy and Omer Katz, with Uri Zisman as alternate.
The Milano Cortina Olympics begin in February 2026.
Also historic that VIN has three sports stories at once! I am fine with it, just i can’t remember it ever happening.
May he be Matzliach!
Hundreds of Jews from 20+ countries, incl pre-war Germany and Austria have won Olympic Medals. Israelis have won 10 medals since 1952.
The modern Olympics started in 1896 NOT as an “homage” to Greek paganism, but as an effort for human brotherhood and world peace. Games instead of WAR. Got any better ideas?
cool
Both run by people you would not trust with lending them a dollar.