Southern California's Brittany Brown needed just 22 seconds to race to Olympics greatness Tuesday when the sprinter from Claremont captured a bronze medal in the 200m dash.
The long road to that third-place finish included health problems and other challenges that are part of the Olympian's inspirational journey to the upper reaches of the competitive world of U.S. track and field and qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Brown won bronze in 22.20, 0.02 seconds in front of Dina Asher-Smith of Britain, who was another hundredth of a second ahead of teammate Daryll Neita. American star Gabby Thomas won the final in 21.83 seconds, adding gold to the bronze she took home in the event from Tokyo three years ago.
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Paris was Brown's Olympics debut.
"Indescribable. Words don't event do it justice," Brown said Wednesday. "Everything has changed. It's just an excited feeling. I feel grateful and honored to be here, to be in this moment."
My name is Brittany Shamere Brown
— Brittany Brown, OLY (@brittanyshamere) June 30, 2024
I never won a track state title
I didn’t go to a “big track school”
I never won a NCAA Title
Wasn’t signed right out of college to a shoe company
BUT
I JUST WOKE UP AN OLYMPIAN!!
After qualifying for the Olympics in June, Brown said in a post on X: "My name is Brittany Shamere Brown. I never won a track state title. I didn’t go to a ‘big track school.’ I never won a NCAA Title. Wasn’t signed right out of college to a shoe company. BUT I JUST WOKE UP AN OLYMPIAN!!"
After waking up an Olympic medalist Wednesday, Brown -- who listens to Beyoncé's "American Requiem" and Stevie Wonder's "As" to during race warmups -- will receive her bronze at the medal ceremony Wednesday night. Adding to a whirlwind 24 hours, she received a congratulatory call from Snoop Dogg, a ubiquitous figure at the Paris Olympics.
"I really got a kick out of it," Brown said. "That SoCal connection."
As for what's next, the 29-year-old Brown will enter wait-and-see mode with LA 2028 four years away.
"I'll be 32, so we don't know what we're going to do," Brown said. "I feel like there are a lot of women who are getting old, and who still are competing at a high level. I'm just happy to be part of that class, and to see that women can do it as they get older."
Along the way to her bronze medal run, Brown has been vocal about being an athlete diagnosed with endometriosis. She was diagnosed with the disorder, in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus or endometrium grow outside the uterus where they don't belong, in 2023 after years of painful symptoms.
"I just feel very honored to be a part of this community of women who just reach out to me and resonate with my story," Brown said. "Just know that you can still do stuff, regardless. You can figure out a way. Your way may look different.
"I just want women to know we should listen to our bodies. Your body's talking to you. It will tell you what's going on."
