Team USA bobsledder and Opening Ceremony flag bearer Frankie Del Duca knows most Americans’ familiarity with his sport is most closely tied to the movie Cool Runnings — but he’s just fine with that.
Del Duca, 34, discussed bobsledding’s association with the 1993 Disney movie — based on the real story of the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Olympics — ahead of representing Team USA as one of two flag bearers at the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 8.
“I have to thank that movie for a lot,” Del Duca exclusively told Luxury Handbag Shopping while discussing his partnership with Native. “First off, it’s a great movie. It’s a Disney production, so certain things are worked for story line or movie effect or whatever it may be. But that movie did so much for the sport in general. And then of course the Jamaican Federation, their story is really inspiring.”
Del Duca even revealed a personal connection to Cool Runnings, telling Us, “I actually used to live two doors down from one of the Jamaican bobsledders in 2018 [in PyeongChang]. I think it’s great. It did a lot for our sport. It doesn’t annoy me at all.”
Team USA bobsledder Boone Niederhofer agreed, which is good because he said, “Cool Runnings usually gets brought up in about every conversation.”
“I don’t find it annoying because as a kid, that was my first introduction to bobsled,” Niederhofer, 32, told Us. “I love that movie. I quote that movie often.”
However, Niederhofer did admit that Cool Runnings isn’t exactly the most painstakingly-researched film of all-time.
“The movie’s not very accurate in terms of actual bobsled things and terms and logistics and just how the sport works in general,” he said. “So that creates some confusion.”
Del Duca and Niederhofer are often forced to clear up confusion about bobsledding, even on the most basic aspects of the sport.
“Surprisingly I get the question: ‘Does somebody steer the sled?’” Niederhofer said. “Or like, ‘So how do you know when to lean?’ The answer to that is: ‘You don’t lean and there’s definitely somebody driving because if there wasn’t, you would fall over every single time.’”
Del Duca similarly explained that some people are surprised to hear that he’s “a bobsled driver.”
“They’ll say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize you steer,’” he said. “Or they’ll say, ‘Can you see when you go down?’ As the driver, I definitely can see and if I couldn’t there’d be major problems. It’s no fault of their own. It’s just not very widely shown in the media. But there’s a very high level of speed and power involved.”
Del Duca added, “It looks like the corners are just beautiful corners that lead you one to the other, and we just push and get in and have some fun. We’re definitely having fun, but it’s quite violent. It’s a lot faster than people think. We’ve hit 97 miles per hour. I think it’s just a little more dangerous than people know. And it’s a little more involved than some people may know.”
The bobsledders are in tight quarters during competition, which is where proper hygiene comes into play.
“We are touching, there’s four of us in a sled,” Del Duca said. “It’s nice not to stink.”
That’s where Native comes in, specifically their limited-edition Global Flavors Collection which comes in scents like Japanese Golden Pear, Turkish Rose Water and, just in time for the 2026 Olympics, Italian Vanilla.
“It’s a natural fit,” Del Duca said. “I’m looking forward to having that local flavor in Italy. A lot of the scents are just fitting and very pleasant. Some of the guys stink, but I know it’s not us. When you look and feel good, you perform good.”
Native’s Global Flavors Collection is exclusively available at Target.
