Celebrating Our Own @ Sochi 2014

Shani Davis

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Davis (now 31) became the first Black athlete period to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games after winning the speed skating 1000 meter event. In addition, Davis won a silver medal in the 1500 meter event. Again at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, Shani defended his title in the 1000 meter gold medal, and the 1500 meter silver medalist.

Davis’ accomplishments continue as the winner of the World All-round Championships in both 2005 and 2006.

 

• 2009 he won the World Sprint Championships in Moscow, the site of his first World Allround Championship victory.
• 2004, 2007 and 2009 He won six World Single Distance Championships titles, three at 1500 meters
• 2007, 2008, 2011 World Single Distance Championships Titles
• 2011 He led the United States to its first and only World Championship gold medal in the Team Pursuit event
• 2006, 2008-10 and 2012 He won nine career Overall World Cup titles, five at 1000 meters and four at 1500 meters (2008–2011)

Shani has 53 career individual victories on the ISU Speed Skating World Cup circuit (through January 2013), placing him second all-time among men.

Shani Davis has set a total of eight world records, three of them current (through January 2013): 1:06.42 over 1000 meters, 1:41.04 at 1500 meters, and 145.742 in allround samalog points. He also sits atop the world Adelskalender list (since March 2009), which ranks the all-time fastest speed skaters by personal best times in the four World Allround Championship distances. Davis is known for his consistency and technical proficiency. Davis is native to Chicago, Illinois.

Lolo Jones

Track and field sensation Lolo Jones was recruited to the sport of bobsled after the 2012 London Games.  Jones said it “felt like someone put me in a can and threw me off of Mt. Everest” after her first trip in a sled.  The 100-m hurdle Olympian successfully transferred her skills to the ice and was named to the women’s bobsled national team just weeks after trying the sport.

Lolo Jones attended Louisiana State University.

Aja Evans

The Chicago, Illionois native was born May 12, 1988. She attended University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) before transferring to University of Illinois. She will compete as a brakeman for the American Bobsled team.

Aja Evans scored 794 out of a possible 800 points on the combine test, winning the 2012 U.S. National Push Championship title, and breaking the start record with driver Jamie Greubel in 2012-2013 team selection races. She is a graduate of  the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Management.  She competed in the shot put and sprint events while in college, and made a smooth transition to the ice.

Evans’ family is full of athletes. Her brother, Fred, is the Vikings’ defensive tackle, uncle Gary Matthews, is the former hitting coach of the Chicago Cubs , and   Matthews Jr  is a major league baseball player.

 

Jazmine Fenlator

Jazmine Fenlator born August 29, 1985 will compete for the American bobsled team. Jazmine was named as one of three pilots of the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia. She is a graduate of Rider University. She initially became involved in the sport of bobsled in September of 2007.   She ran track at Rider University where her coach encouraged her to try a bobsled camp after graduation.

Fenlator graduated from Rider University with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia communications and advertising.  She completed her master’s degree at the California University of PA with a concentration on exercise and sciences, and is now pursuing her MBA at DeVry University with a concentration on marketing.

 

Lauryn Williams

Lauryn Williams attended a rookie bobsled camp in Calgary, Canada in August 2013, and after just a few days pushing at the Indoor Ice House, she finished third in U.S. National Push Championships. The accomplished track and field star was invited to compete in national team selection races, and she was named to the national team in her rookie season.  Williams earned a silver medal with Jazmine Fenlator in her first World Cup appearance in Park City, Utah in November 2013.

Williams’ is a three-time Olympian in track and field.  Her long list of accomplishments includes: 2004 Olympic silver medal in the 100m, 2012 Olympic gold medal in the 4x100m relay, four-time USA Outdoor bronze medalist, 2005 World Outdoor 100m champion, 2006 World Indoor silver medalist, 2002 World Junior gold medalist.

Some statistics courtesy of teamusa.org