Two years after being sentenced to serve time in a Russian penal colony, Brittney Griner has gained her third Olympic medal. On Sunday, she helped the U.S. ladies’s basketball group overcome a 10-point third-quarter deficit to safe a 67–66 win in opposition to France, incomes the gold medal.
The victory marks the group’s eighth consecutive gold medal. Because the gamers celebrated their win, Griner might be seen embracing her medal, tears of gratitude streaming down her face. Her spouse, Cherelle Griner, joined her to commemorate the win.
Brittney advised NBC that the prize would “maintain a particular place amongst the opposite two” of her gold medals, earned on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Rio Video games in 2016. “My nation fought for me to get again,” she added. “And I used to be in a position to convey residence gold for my nation. There’s simply no better feeling.”
In February 2022, the professional basketball participant spent almost 10 months in Russian custody after being detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for having vape cartridges crammed with hashish oil in her baggage. She was within the nation to play within the Russian ladies’s skilled basketball league, however ended up being sentenced to 9 years in jail for the drug offense.
On the time, Griner admitted to having the cartridges, however claimed she had packed them accidentally. Paperwork additionally confirmed the hashish oil had been legally prescribed to her by her American physician for ache administration, per NBC Information. Griner was finally launched in December 2022, after President Joe Biden negotiated a historic prisoner swap with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Maya Ernest is an editor who covers all the pieces from the most recent trend information to options that examine private fashion, social media traits, and considerate consumption.