Sports movies often tell the tale of both the extraordinary and the sublime, but at times they can also pull at our hearts strings even in loss and defeat, as its also the journey to get there that is often almost as important as the final conclusion.

With that in mind I invite you to join me on this countdown as I share my own favourite sports films that have resonated with me personally over the years.

Feel free to let me know your own top five or if I’ve missed any of your favorites in the comments down below.

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5. Cool Runnings.

Inspired by true events, this film follows Jamaica’s foray into history with their debut at the Winter Olympics held in Canada in 1988.

The true life story behind the movie mirrors closely to the fictional aspects of the Disney production with creative licence used for much of the comedy.

This was a tropical country entering the completely foreign world of winter sports under the guidance of coach Howard Siler, a former US Olympic Bobsledder.

He believed that the speed of an Olympic sprinter could translate to the bobsled track, so he duly recruited three of the Jamaican national army’s best sprinters, and incredibly handed the task of driver to an active helicopter pilot.

The team would eventually crash out in their third heat due to inexperience. But much like in the movie they left as cult hero’s after walking over the line alongside their sled in a show of defiance that embodied everything about the true Olympic spirit.

Jamaica would go on to compete at future Olympics as a two man team and the movie itself became a huge global hit.

Click on the page numbers down below to continue the countdown.