Aja Evans

Last updated

Aja Evans
Aja Evans 2017.jpg
Evans in March 2017
Personal information
Full nameAja L. Evans
Born (1988-05-12) May 12, 1988 (age 37)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Home town Homewood, Illinois, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight170 lb (77 kg)
Sport
Sport Bobsleigh
College team University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Medal record
Women's bobsleigh
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2014 Sochi Two-woman
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2017 Königssee Two-woman

Aja L. Evans (born May 12, 1988) is an American Olympic medalist bobsledder (two-woman) who competes as a brakeman. At her Chicago public high school she was an All-American track & field City Champion in sprints and shot put. As a college athlete she was an All-American and Big Ten Champion shot putter.

Contents

Career

Aja Evans began track and field training at Morgan Park High School [1] on the far south side of Chicago, Illinois. She attended UNLV before transferring to the University of Illinois. Evans was a college record setting, five-time All-American and three-time Big Ten Champion shot potter at the University of Illinois. [2]

Evans began competing in the bobsled after graduation. She was a brakeman for drivers Jamie Greubel, Elana Meyers, and Jazmine Fenlator in the 2012–2013 World Cup season, earning a bronze in Igls and a silver at the Sochi. In the 2013–2014 World Cup season, she earned silver at Calgary and gold at Park City. [3]

Evans was named to the U.S. Olympic bobsled team for the 2014 Winter Olympics on January 19, 2014. [4]

On February 19, 2014, Evans, along with Jamie Greubel, won the bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Evans posing nude for ESPN's Body Issue magazine in 2014; Photograph by Mark Williams and Sara Hirakawa Aja Evans ESPN Body Photo.jpg
Evans posing nude for ESPN's Body Issue magazine in 2014; Photograph by Mark Williams and Sara Hirakawa

In 2014, Evan’s posed nude for ESPN’s The Body Issue magazine. [5] In an interview that's done along with the issue, Evans talked about embracing her body:

There were times when I thought, "Oh, I look too muscular." And after a while I just got tired of it because I was hurting myself more than anybody else. When you learn to embrace it and accept it, then you become invincible. [6]

In 2023, Evans filed a lawsuit alleging that she was groped and inappropriately photographed by her team's chiropractor over a period of nearly a decade. Evans' attorney compared the doctor's conduct to that of Larry Nassar, but he denied the accusations and labeled them “detestable”. [7]

Family

Evans comes from a family of athletes. Her father, Fred, became the first black national collegiate champion in swimming when he competed for Chicago State. Her brother, also named Fred, is a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings. Her uncle is retired Major League Baseball outfielder Gary Matthews and her cousin is baseball player Gary Matthews, Jr. [8]

“I’m a product of Chicago,” said Evans. “Showing people that this black girl from Chicago came to the Winter Olympic sport and really did some amazing things, and it was all because I had that will to win and it was my dream." [9]

References

  1. Edwards, Lee (January 22, 2014). "Aja Evans Details Her Journey to the 2014 Winter Olympics". TheChicagoCitizen.com. The Chicago Citizen Newspaper. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. "Women's Track Olympians Recognized". fightingillini.com. University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. September 11, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  3. "Aja Evans". TeamUSA.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  4. TeamUSA.org – 2014 U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team Announced, January 19, 2014.
  5. "How Aja Evans Got That Body". ESPN. July 16, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  6. "Aja Evans peels off the uniform". ESPN. June 26, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  7. "Chicago Olympic bobsledder Aja Evans sues team chiropractor, alleging sexual abuse". September 21, 2023.
  8. Hersh, Philip (November 23, 2013). "Chicagoan Evans pushes herself for Olympic bobsled spot". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  9. Kim, Katie (January 12, 2018). "For Chicago Olympian Aja Evans Family Comes First". nbcchicago.com. NBC Chicago. Retrieved April 21, 2018.