Training in sweltering temperatures in Australia’s Sunshine State is not where you might expect to find a rising winter sports star.

Jermayne Takapautolo, 30, is a radiographer at Logan Hospital, south of Brisbane .

He is also preparing to compete for the opportunity to represent Australia in bobsleigh at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

That is despite having never been to the snow before he decided to try out for the sport — in a story reminiscent to that of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, made famous in the movie Cool Runnings.

“Everyone loves an underdog story,” Takapautolo told 7NEWS .

This time last year, Takapautolo — a keen high school basketball player — knew nothing about bobsleigh.

“I’ve never even been to Perisher,” he said.

“It’s been a crazy year.”

His journey to

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