Warner Fails to Make Bobsled Team

Three-time luge Olympian Bonny Warner campaigned to get women’s bobsled onto the Olympic program at Salt Lake City and turned her life upside-down to win a spot on the U.S. team, but her dream ended Saturday at the Olympic trials in Park City, Utah.

Driver Jean Racine, who put competition before friendship when she dropped brakeman Jen Davidson and lured Gea Johnson away from Warner last week, combined with Johnson to win the two-day trials Saturday at Utah Olympic Park and secured a berth at the Games. Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers earned the other U.S. spot by finishing second, one place ahead of Warner and brakeman Bethany Hart.

Warner started the season with Flowers, a former sprinter, before replacing her with Johnson, a former heptathlete. When Johnson dumped Warner for Racine, Warner tried to bond with Hart, but they couldn’t match their rivals’ push times or overall results. Johnson and Racine set a track record of 48.92 seconds with their first run Saturday and finished with a combined time of 1:38.17. Bakken and Flowers were second at 1:38.31, and Warner and Hart were third at 1:39.43. They finished in the same order Friday.

“The two ringers I brought into the sport obviously competed against me,” Warner said by phone from the bobsled venue. “It was over before it started.

“I’ve been in Olympic sports 22 years and I’ve had a lot of victories, and I’ve tried to be gracious in victory. I want to be gracious in defeat. I wish them the best. The U.S. is sending two strong teams. I just wish someday, the individuals involved would thank me or pay me back for all the money I spent on their training. Vonetta and Gea wouldn’t be here, and Jean and Jill wouldn’t have a chance to do what they’re doing now if not for what I did....

“They’ll go on to have fancy endorsements and maybe then they’ll pay back the money I put into it.”

Warner, who took leave from her job as a United Airlines pilot to train for the Games, said she has already fielded inquiries about becoming a TV commentator at the Games. Admittedly stunned by the recent turn of events, she’s unsure what she will do.

“It would have been my 10th Olympics in some way, shape or form,” said Warner, who lives in Discovery Bay, Calif. “When they go on and win medals, and I think they will, I know and you know they wouldn’t have done it without me. I hope it’s Jill and Vonetta.... I had everything planned out. I just didn’t count on the dark side of human nature.”