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Vonetta Flowers: The first black Winter Olympic champion

How the American bobsledder made history at the 2002 games in Utah.

Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold, when her US pair won the two-woman Bobsleigh event in 2002. Flowers started her career as a sprinter and long-jumper, but switched to bobsledding after failing to make the American summer Olympic team. She was a natural for the brake-woman role and formed a successful team with driver, Jill Bakken. Vonetta Flowers speaks to Iain Mackness. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester production.

(Photo: Vonetta Flowers celebrating her Olympic victory in 2002. Credit: Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sat 5 Feb 2022 18:50GMT
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