Jared Firestone

Jared Alec Firestone
Jared Firestone (ISR) carries his sled onto the finish deck after completing heat 4
Personal information
Native name
ג’רד יוסף פיירסטון
Full nameJared Firestone
Nickname
The Jewish Jet
National teamIsrael national bobsleigh team
Born (1990-03-30) March 30, 1990
Miami, Florida, U.S.
EducationTulane University
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Years active2019–present
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight81 kg (179 lb)
Websitejewishjet.com
Sport
CountryIsrael
Sport
Coached bySelf-coached

Jared Alec Firestone (Hebrew: ג’רד יוסף פיירסטון; born March 30, 1990) is an American-born Israeli skeleton racer and a Lawyer based in Florida.[1][2][3][4] He represents Israel's national bobsleigh team.[5] In 2022, Firestone became the first ever Israeli to win gold in a Skeleton race and in March, 2025 became the first Israeli finalist on the IBSF World Championships.[6][7] He has 8 podium finishes in IBSF races.[8]

Biography

Firestone was born and raised in South Florida. He attended Scheck Hillel Community School.[9] Firestone competed in track and field at Tulane University before earning a J.D. degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.[10][11] In 2021, Firestone and Adam Edelman co-founded a non-profit organization, Advancing Jewish Athletics.[12] Firestone is nicknamed the "The Jewish Jet".[13]

Sports career

Sliding sports

Skeleton

Firestone was introduced to skeleton in 2014, during his recovery from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) suffered while in law school.[14]

He debuted for Israel in  2019. Firestone's first World Cup season was 2019–20, during which he entered two events and placed 41st overall.[8] He did not compete in the 2020–21 World Cup but returned for event in 2021–22, finishing 43rd overall.[1][15]

In his early seasons, Firestone competed on the North American Cup circuit. By his third competitive season, he came within three places of qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics, finishing the year ranked 44th in the world by the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF).[16][17][18]

In the 2022–2023 season, Firestone won Israel's first-ever gold medal in a sliding sport at an Olympic-discipline event.[19]

During the 2024–2025 season, Firestone qualified Israel's first sled in a World Championship since 2019. He advanced to the finals, becoming the first Israeli athlete to reach that stage of a major sliding competition.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b @stewartain (2021-02-13). "Cool runnings: This Florida bobsledder is Israel's next big hope for Olympic Winter Gold". The Forward. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  2. ^ "Jared A. Firestone". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  3. ^ "Israel's bobsled team pushing for Olympic glory amid Gaza war". NY Post. 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  4. ^ "Jared Firestone". Bobsleigh Skeleton Israel. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  5. ^ "Israeli bobsled teams prepare for World Championship, Winter Olympics | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-03-09. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  6. ^ "IBSF | International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation: Result". www.ibsf.org. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  7. ^ "Skeleton athletes celebrate personal bests at IBSF North American Cup in Lake Placid". www.ibsf.org. 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  8. ^ a b "IBSF | International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation: Athlete". www.ibsf.org. 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  9. ^ "Jared Firestone, Alumnus". Scheck Hillel Community School. 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  10. ^ Ash, Jim. "Going downhill fast!". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  11. ^ "Jared Firestone - Track & Field". Tulane University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  12. ^ Eisenstein, Susan R. (2024-04-18). "Olympian AJ Edelman and Jared Firestone Look to Grow 'Advancing Jewish Athletics' to Help Jewish Athletes". The Jewish Link. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  13. ^ "Fort Lauderdale Native Eyes 2022 Olympics". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  14. ^ "Stroke changes life for Winter Olympic hopeful". Archived from the original on 2024-10-12. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  15. ^ "IBSF | International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation: Athlete". www.ibsf.org. 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  16. ^ Rakovsky, Ido. "An American lawyer wants to represent Israel in the Winter Olympics". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  17. ^ Spiro, Amy (2022-01-25). "Israel's 2022 Olympic bobsled dreams are crushed. But AJ Edelman is not giving up". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  18. ^ "How One Olympic Hopeful Prepares for the Ice in Sunny South Florida". www.stayfit305.com. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  19. ^ "Hollywood athlete is first Israeli to medal in skeleton sport". Sun Sentinel. 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  20. ^ "Final results" (PDF). ibsf.org. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
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