A New York City teacher fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian at the Beijing Winter Olympics in a sport he had never competed in before - bobsledding.

Andre Marcano represented his home country of Trinidad and Tobago and competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

"After the first run I was like what did I get myself into...It was so scary like you have to put your trust in this one person which is the pilot your head is down the whole time,” said Marcano. 

He says Axel Brown, who steers the sled, slid into his DMs on Instagram looking to put together the country’s first bobsled team in 20 years. 

"Your fast and you're a pretty big guy...you would be a really great brakeman and I was just like, 'Umm bobsled?"' said Marcano. 

The lifelong track-and-field athlete said he hesitated. In 2005, he came to the U.S. on scholarship as a sprinter for LIU Brooklyn. 

He’s pursued his dream of coming out of the starting blocks at the Olympic Stadium ever since. It never worked out to join his home team to run, but now his speed and power are providing a new avenue. 

"I feel like the last 20 years of me trying to make the Summer Olympics, it prepared me for this moment,” said Marcano. 

The Manhattan gym teacher joined the team about a month before the games in Calgary for training and made the team. After a schoolwide send off, he took unpaid leave and was named the country’s flag bearer in Beijing. 

Trinidad and Tobago finished 28th out of 30. He says he was proud since he says they were expected to come in last. 

"It may not come the way you want it but it's going to come, so keep trying, keep pushing, never give up,” said Marcano.

Andre says he next wants to compete for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 World Cup and one day he hopes they can be top ten in the world.