Standing on the medal stand with her third gold medal draped around her neck, Brittney Griner looked at the U.S. flag with tears streaming down her cheeks during the national anthem.
She didn't wipe them away until after the anthem ended, never trying to hide how she feels representing her country 612 days after the U.S. got the American star home after 10 months in a Russian prison. Not with all that this moment meant. Griner didn't think she'd have this chance again. 'This one meant a lot to me,' Griner said after the U.S. held off France 67-66 to win an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal in women’s basketball Sunday.
That was three years ago, but Griner's ordeal in Russia left her appreciating the mundane details of each day. 'Waking up, going to practice, even when you don’t want to practice, having the opportunity to do that, because we overlook it,' she said. 'That’s the opportunity that we get to do and I just cherish every second I can now.' During these Games, the U.S. pulled off another high-profile prisoner exchange hours before Griner took the court during pool play.
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