Pennsylvania's Jasmine Jones Wins Bronze at Olympics

Jasmine Jones came home from Italy with more than memories. The 29-year-old Air Force member and Jeannette, Pennsylvania native just won a bronze medal in two-woman bobsled at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Jones and her pilot, Kaillie Humphries Armbruster, finished third in Cortina d'Ampezzo after four intense heats. Two German teams took gold and silver, but for Jones' family watching from a South Greensburg restaurant, bronze felt like pure gold.

The watch party at Morelands at Waterworks erupted when Jones crossed the finish line. She had worked there as a hostess and waitress before moving to Lake Placid, New York for her Air Force station and bobsled training.

"We're just so proud that someone from a small town made it to the Olympics," said her aunt Tonya Poole-Brundage. "She was determined she could do this, and she did it."

The road to Olympic glory wasn't smooth. Jones, a 2014 Hempfield Area graduate and former track star at Eastern Michigan University, gave birth to her daughter Jade in February 2021. She missed qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics while recovering and caring for her newborn.

But Jones didn't give up. She trained harder, balanced motherhood with athletic demands, and earned her spot on Team USA four years later.

"I'm happy she got to go this time," said George Moreland, the restaurant owner who watched Jones grow up in the community. "It's not too often you get somebody from this area to compete in the Olympics."

Jones launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her mother, Christine Graves, travel to Italy to watch her compete. The community rallied around her, making sure family could witness this historic moment.

Why This Inspires

Jones' journey shows what perseverance really looks like. She didn't let missing one Olympics define her story. Instead, she became a mother, continued serving in the Air Force, and still pursued her athletic dreams.

Her godmother Rachel Gant, who babysat Jones as a child, captured the emotion perfectly. "Her first time in the Olympics, and look what she won," she said through tears of joy.

Aunt Chris Harman summed up what everyone was feeling: "Now she's reaping the rewards. What an awesome feeling, to represent your country."

Jones goes by "Jazz" to friends and "Jazzy" to family, and her hometown will never forget the day their local girl became an Olympian.