Behind the Beauty with Audra Segree

She may deal with cold weather sports for a living, but Audra Segree is as hot as they come among Team Jamaica athletes!

In our latest sitdown for Behind the Beauty, the 2018 Winter Olympian talks about why she switched from sprinting to sledding, being besties with Elaine Thompson-Herah, how she stays so beautiful and much more.

876-411: We appreciate you sitting down with us Audra! Before your journey to the track and then the ice, you grew up an aspiring country girl raised in Maroon Town. Tell us about your upbringing and what made you decide to try your hand at sports.

Audra Segree: Hi! Thanks for having me! As you know, I am a country girl born in German Town and raised in Maroon Town. My upbringing wasn’t an easy one being the oldest of two siblings (on my Mom’s side) and not from a wealthy family background. My Mom and Dad did their best to make ends meet.

I started doing track and field because of my father. It all started when I was in primary school. When it was close to sports day, my dad would wake me up in the mornings to exercise, to condition my body and I would do really well on sports day. I would be the champion girl for my class and, sometimes, become the overall champion girl while in primary school.

876: As you pursued your track career, you went to one of the great track and field institutions ever in Holmwood Technical, attending the school during the peak of its powers at Champs. What was it like being a part of Holmwood and what was your greatest memory there?

Audra Segree: The blessed school on the hill, Holmwood Technical, was where I was moulded. I’ve learned so many things and seen things from a different perspective. You had to be dedicated and disciplined as an athlete. The senior athletes on the team played an integral part as well. They would help to groom the younger athletes.

My greatest memory there was when I was the captain and led my team to victory in the 2009 Boys and Girls Champs!

876: As you know, track is as competitive a sport as it gets, especially given the buzz around. But, there’s also the process just to get ready for a race and the work you have to put in just to compete. What are the most rewarding and frustrating aspects of that process for you over the years?

Audra Segree: The most rewarding for me was representing Jamaica, being a medalist and making my family proud. The most frustrating part has to be constantly getting injuries.

876: You’ve also developed a strong friendship over the years with the legendary Elaine Thompson-Herah. How did you ladies meet and become so close? And, as much as you and the world have gotten to witness her greatness on the track first-hand, what about her off-track personality stands out to you that people don’t get to see?

Audra Segree: Elaine and I met while I was attending UTECH in 2012. We were roommates and that’s how our friendship started and it blossomed from there.

Her off-track personality, I would describe it as down-to-earth and funny. I think Jamaica and the rest of the world mostly see the serious side when she’s all about business. But, she will show a little of the other side on social media now and then.

876: While still in your prime in sprinting, you decided to transition to winter sports and joined the bobsled team with fellow track star, Carrie Russell, and bobsled vet Jasmine Fenlator. Winter sports have never really been a consideration on our hot island, except for the famed ‘88 team they made a movie after.

Why bobsled? What attracted you to try winter sports?

Audra Segree: What people may not know is that I did bobsled twice before doing it full-time. The first time I did bobsled was in 2014 for one week. My bobsled coach (Wayne Thomas) was seeking a break woman and he contacted Maurice Wilson (track and field coach). He recommended me and I agreed to try it.

I then went back again in 2015 for two weeks. But, after that, I decided to stick to tracks full-time and not go back and forth. In 2017, I was planning to retire from tracks because of continuous injuries. However, the president of the Jamaica Bobsled and Skeleton Federation reached out to me saying he wanted a second break woman to join the team full-time. Being that I was considering retiring from track and field, I said why not and gave it a try. And, the rest was history, literally! 😊

876: Making it to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang was a historic achievement. You were a part of the first all-female team to make it to the showpiece event. When did it hit you that you were an Olympian? And, what was the experience of being a part of that stage like?

Audra Segree: The Olympics will forever be to peak moment of my career. When I walked out with the flag as the flag bearer in front of thousands, that’s when it hit me that I was really at the Olympics.

The experience overall was great and welcoming. Lots of people were excited that we were there being that we came from a tropical country. They were just amazed with our story and our journey.

876: You also attempted to become the first female skeleton athlete from Jamaica to qualify for the Olympics during the 2022 qualifying cycle. What have you found is the biggest difference between bobsled and skeleton, especially regarding the challenges they present?

Audra Segree: Bobsled and skeleton are two different worlds!

In bobsled, you need a team especially to help with the sled while the skeleton is a one-man sport. You don’t need a team to rely on. In bobsled, I was a brakewoman so I didn’t have to worry about the driving aspect of it. All I had to worry about was pushing fast and getting in and Jazmine would do the rest. But, as a skeleton athlete, I have to do it all. The pushing, starting and taking care of the sled. I have to do it all. And bobsled is much more costly than the skeleton.

876: It’s been a pleasure featuring you as an 876 Beauty for the past several years and our followers like you! As an 876 Beauty, what do you consider your sexiest physical attribute? And, what is your most attractive non-physical attribute?

Audra Segree: Sexiest physical attribute, I would say, is my physique. And, the best non-physical attribute, I would say, is my personality.

876: You come across as very confident in yourself and your looks and put yourself together quite well. How do you best maintain your beauty?

Audra Segree: I maintain my beauty by trying to eat healthily and trying my best not to stress over things that are beyond my control 😊

876: You were so unlucky to miss out on the 2022 Winter Olympics, but there’s always 2026, right? What lessons did you take from that disappointment? And, will you be giving it one more run for another Olympic berth?

Audra Segree: The lesson I take from missing out on the 2022 Olympics is that you can do everything in your power and what you had planned didn’t work out. But, that doesn’t make you a failure.

As for another run, I have been asked this question a lot. Will I return? It’s not impossible. But, at the moment, I got some things working on.

Audra Segree meets Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, in Jamaica alongside her teammates.

876: Lastly, what message do you have for women who may be interested in trying winter sports and following in your historic footsteps?

Audra Segree: One advice I would give to any female who wants to take part in winter sports is that don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams just because it’s a winter sport. People might not support you because it’s not a popular sport. Go and break barriers and show the world it can be done!