Fenlator, Jones in 11th after first day of heats

By Christopher Brooks

Former track and field athletes Jazmine Fenlator, ’07, and Lolo Jones took to the bobsled track in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 18 for their first two Olympic heats.

The pair, who piloted the USA-3 sled, finished with a first heat time of 58.27 and a second heat time of 58.46, leaving them in 11th place.

Fortunately for Team USA, the other two sleds had more success. Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams in the USA-1 sled hold the top spot after day one of the two-day competition with runs of 57.26 and 57.63. Jamie Greubel and Aja Evans in the USA-2 sled are in third place with times of 57.45 and 58.00.

Fenlator and Jones will have a chance to improve their placement on Feb. 19 with two more heats, though their medal chances are slim.

Fenlator, who has had a rough road to the Olympics, stressed in a message to the Rider community that though a medal is her ultimate goal, achieving her dream of being an Olympian is just as important.

“I am ready, I am strong, I am powerful, I am confident, I am resilient, I am fierce, I am a fighter, I am just one small part of Team USA,” she said. “More importantly, through my actions on and off the bobsled track, I want to represent the bigger picture. The picture that dreams can come alive no matter where you started; no matter the path you take to get there.”