-
Overview
Facts About Vonetta FlowersVonetta Flowers is an inspiration because when she failed to reach her dream of making the Olympic team in track and field, she switched Olympic sports, made the team and won the gold. She is also famous for being the first African-American woman in history to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympic event. Additionally, she was one of the first American women (along with her partner Jill Bakken) to win the gold in bobsledding.
Family Roots
Born on October 29, 1973 in Birmingham, Alabama, Vonetta Flowers grew up with three brothers and was raised by her single mother, Bobbie Jeffreys.
Formative Years
Even in her early childhood, Vonetta was known for her quickness. When she was nine-years-old she ran a race with a large group of boys and girls, and wound up with the fastest time. DeWitt Thomas, the Jonesboro Elementary School coach, thought there was some mistake when he saw her time, because boys much older than Vonetta had run in the same race. But there was no mistake. Vonetta had run faster than all the boys.
Athletic Evolution
Coach Thomas was pleased to learn that a girl had made the fastest time. He described her at the time as a rare and gifted girl with a 'heart of gold.' who he believed would be an Olympic athlete. She was shy, yet very determined and went on to win each race that she entered. Her coach attributes her success to hard work and a will to never give up. Vonetta graduated from P.D. Jackson Olin High School in Alabama in 1992. She went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a track and field scholarship, becoming the first member of her family to attend college.
From Track and Field to Bobsledding
After being a track star at the University of Alabama, Flowers made several attempts to make the Summer Olympic team. Hampered by ankle injuries, she didn't make it. However, during the 2000 Olympic trials, she saw a flier advertising the bobsled team tryout. She decided to try, just to see what would happen. It turned out that her skills as a track star came in handy at the tryouts, which involved much sprinting and jumping. She had never seen a bobsled in her life, but she made the team and after just two weeks of practice, she and her partner had broken the world start record. She won several bobsledding competitions and on February 19, 2002, she won Olympic Gold in Park City, Utah.
Fun Facts About Vonetta Flowers
She is 5 feet 7 inches tall. Her favorite color is green, her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and her favorite food is jerk chicken pasta. Her coach is her husband, Johnny Mack Flowers, and she would love to compete in the 2008 Olympics as a gymnast. She is also the first person from Alabama to win an Olympic gold medal in a winter sport.
