On Sunday, on the floor of the Arena Bercy, there were obviously tears of sadness among Gabby Williams' teammates, but also tears of joy among the Americans. And then, there were the tears of Brittney Griner. There was joy, of course, but also relief and resilience because the American center was in a Russian jail two years ago. At that time, she did not imagine that one day she would be able to play again and win a third Olympic gold medal.
“I am very moved,” Griner acknowledged. “It means a lot to me. My family didn’t think I would be here, as I said before, and win gold for my country, and my country fought so hard for me to be here. This gold medal is going to hold a special place.”
The last time she took a train, it was with prisoners.
Already crowned in 2016 in Rio and 2021 in Tokyo, the Phoenix Mercury's interior had never left the United States since her release in December 2022. Over the last three weeks, she made a detour to London before settling in for two weeks in Lille then Paris, and she is gradually getting back to a taste for normal life.
“I still have little moments here and there,” she continues about his mental state. “The first train journey was a bit difficult for me. The last time I took a train abroad it was a prison train, so it was a bit tough. But other than that, my teammates were all there for me, as well as my family and my wife. So I had a really good support system.”
