Brittney Griner has revealed why she shed a few tears when the national anthem was played following the U.S. women's national team's gold medal victory against France at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, the Phoenix Mercury star spoke on the touching moment she experienced on the podium while accepting her gold medal. According to Griner, she cried upon hearing "Star Spangled Banner" in Paris because she didn't think she would get to experience following her nearly 10-month imprisonment in Russia.
"My country fought for me to get back. And I was able to bring home gold for my country. There's just no greater feeling," said Griner. "My emotions are all over the place....I didn't think I would be here. And to be here, winning gold, for my country, representing, when my country fought for me so hard to even be standing here. That's why this gold medal, compared to the other two, was different."
Griner was detained in Russia back in February 2022 after a customs dog allegedly found hash oil in vape cartridges in her carry-on bag. She was handed a nine-year prison sentence but was released through a prisoner swap in December 2022. The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics was Griner's first trip outside of America since she was released.
In May, Griner revealed she wasn't comfortable traveling overseas due to her harrowing ordeal in Russia. According to Griner, she decided to stay on American grounds but wanted to go to Paris because her homeland would protect her.
"My wife and I [used to enjoy going] down to Mexico for a bit. But now I'm just like, 'Nah, I can't do it.' We can go to a beach in America. There's plenty of beaches here. There were countries I wanted to visit before, but [not] now," she said before explaining why she went to Paris. "The same country that brought me home would protect its Olympic athletes."