Tulane University graduate Jared Firestone has qualified to represent Israel at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Firestone, who goes by “The Jewish Jet,” is set to compete in men’s skeleton, where athletes ride a small sled headfirst, face-down on an ice track. 

Firestone was a member of Tulane’s track and field team for four years before graduating in 2012. He competed in the 100 and 200-meter dash events, ranking No. 18 in Conference USA in the 100-meter dash. 

Firestone grew up in South Florida before attending Tulane. After graduating, he attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, where he suffered a transient ischemic attack — a small stroke where blood flow to the brain is temporarily blocked. 

Firestone said that visiting Israel cemented his goal of representing the country in the Olympics, where he said he felt like he truly belonged.

“When I discovered Skeleton in 2014, I realized this was the perfect vehicle to fulfill both missions, due to the location of many of the competitions, as well as the ability to utilize my sprinting skills to make Israel extremely competitive at an international level,” Firestone said on his website. 

Firestone is a co-founder of Advancing Jewish Athletics, a nonprofit organization that supports athletes who serve as “global ambassadors for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” According to his website, Israel provides little funding for winter athletes to attend the games, so Firestone is crowdfunding online to represent Israel. 

The Olympic Committee of Israel will release the roster for the Israeli Olympic team in the coming days. 

Israel is expected to send only nine athletes to the Olympics this year, five of whom are on the bobsled team. Firestone is the only skeleton athlete qualified to represent Israel. The skeleton races will take place at the Winter Olympics from Feb. 12-15.