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Vonetta Flowers
- 2006 U.S. Olympian with driver Jean Prahm
- 2002 Olympic bobsled champion, with partner Jill Bakken, becoming the first black athlete to win a winter Olympic gold medal
- Selected with Jill Bakken to carry Olympic flag into 2002 Closing Ceremonies
- Recipient of the 2002 USOC Team of the Year; U.S. Olympic Spirit Award and selected for People’s “50 Most Beautiful People” issue
- Finished 5th at World Championships with partner Jean Prahm (Racine), 2005
- Six top-five World Cup finishes out of eight 2005 World Cup races with one gold medal and two bronze medal finishes
- Finished sixth at the 2003 World Championships (driver Jean Racine)
- Switched to driver Jean Racine for the last part of the 2002-2003 season and is still pushing for Racine
- Introduced to bobsled after responding to a want ad placed by Warner at the 2000 Olympic Track and Field Trials. Warner was searching for a track athlete that could provide the speed and power needed to get fast starts
- With only two weeks of training on how to push a bobsled, Vonetta (along with her teammate Bonny Warner) broke the world start record in October 2000, at Park City, Utah
- Switched from driver Bonny Warner to Jill Bakken during the 2001-02 season to take second at U.S. Olympic Trials and earn spot on her first Olympic team
- Is a three-time member of the U.S. Olympic Festival Team, winning the gold in the long jump in 1994, the 4x100m relay in 1995; seven -time NCAA All-American track and field athlete at University of Alabama-Birmingham
- On August 30, 2002, she gave birth to twin boys – Jaden and Jorden
- Played volleyball, basketball and ran track in high school
- Loves spending time with family, shopping and watching re-runs of Seinfeld episodes
- Favorite things are: the color green…any movie with Samuel L. Jackson…Thanksgiving…Jerk chicken pasta
Related Links
U.S. Olympic Fan Club: Support the next Vonetta Flowers ... Get a free Olympic pin!
Feature: USOC honors January athletes
Official Web site: Vonetta Flowers
Video: On her twins, Jaden and Jordan
Audio: On the Olympics and her family
On the affects of winning the gold medal: “To be the first African-American to win gold is a blessing and an honor. I just hope it opens the doors for younger African-Americans, and hopefully they will want to give winter sports a try."
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Height: 5'6
Born: 29-Oct-1973
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Sport: Bobsled
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