There was tension until the last second in the Olympics’ last medal exercise, the basketball final between France and the USA. The latter saved the gold, and joined the USA’s 40th in these summer games. This means that they overtake China and reign supreme in the medal statistics for the Paris Games 2024. But it is not just the sporting aspect that has created great attention around the American basketball women. – I am not afraid of anything but death, said Brittney Griner before the first Olympic match. She is a whopping 203 centimeters tall, has turned 33 and has won what can be won, but the American basketball player has primarily become world famous for something completely different. JUBILEE: Grinning together with Kelsey Plum after the victory in the Olympic final, Photo: Reuters “Griner will probably not stop in the press zone. She will not answer any more questions about the past now,” news overhears being said in the Bercy Arena in Paris. The USA had just made it to a highly anticipated Olympic final. After all, they haven’t lost an Olympic match since 1992. But it was certainly not as certain that Griner would be on the team. Just a week before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Griner was arrested at the Moscow airport. The basketball star was going to the country to train with UMMC Yekaterinburg in the off-season, as she had been doing since 2015. BIG STAR: Brittney Griner during the Olympic final against France. Photo: AP – Many of us go there to earn an income that can help our families. That’s why I left, Griner has explained. Cannabis in the luggage This time, Russian customs officials are said to have found e-cigarettes with cannabis oil in her luggage – a crime that can lead to 10 years in prison in Russia, even if she had obtained it legally on a prescription in the United States. It was not until March 5 that it was made public what had happened, but although the US authorities quickly got involved in getting Griner free, only her Russian lawyers had direct contact. – I wanted to take my life several times in the first weeks, Griner told the ABC TV channel in his first interview about the incident. IN RUSSIA: Only in connection with the trial, several months after the detention, were photos of Brittney Griner released. Photo: AP The basketball league, the authorities and lawyers worked on, but instead of a quick extradition, the detention was extended after three months. Wife Cherelle Griner felt powerless and spoke to President Joe Biden. – There is one person who can pick her up, and that is our president, she told ESPN. Had to cut the braids In July 2022, the trial for Griner’s “attempted drug smuggling” began and pictures of the star in handcuffs – and behind bars were spread all over the world. A few days later, she pleaded guilty – and both the entire sports world and President Biden got involved. – The times I realized what happened, it gave me a little comfort. It gave me hope, which is obviously hard to have, and a dangerous thing to have, because when it doesn’t work, it breaks you, she has said. Russia replied that extradition negotiations should be kept secret, and in August Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison. TOUGH TIME: Laughs during a court hearing in Moscow in August 2022. Photo: AP They tried to appeal the verdict, to no avail. Instead, Griner was moved to a penal colony in Mordovia, 300 kilometers away from Moscow. For security reasons, she cannot talk in detail about what happened, but in the interview with ABC in May this year, Griner lifted the veil on the circumstances. The mattress with blood on it, the one roll of toilet paper a month, and the toothpaste that had expired 15 years earlier are part of her story. Also how she worked cutting fabric for military uniforms. In addition, the long dreadlocks she was known for disappeared. – It just had to happen. We had spiders over my bed making a nest. The dreadlocks froze, they stayed wet and cold and I got sick. You do what you have to to survive. Dramatic negotiation But then, on 8 December 2022, the good news came. Brittney Griner was on her way home. After what was described as a dramatic prisoner exchange, Brittney Griner was on her way home – while the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout went the opposite way. In the midst of an intense time for relations between the United States and Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine, it was seen as a victory for President Biden. And most of all, a win for Griner. HOME: Brittney Griner was welcomed by his wife Cherelle when she landed in the United States in December 2022. Photo: AP In March of the following year, she signed a new contract with the Phoenix Mercury, the only club she has played for, and soon after she met the press for first time after release. She posed in a T-shirt with the print “Bring our families home” – a campaign to bring American citizens back to the United States – a campaign she is very involved in. Griner could also say that she still had a dream of winning her third Olympic gold. – If I am selected for the team, it will be the only time I will leave American soil again, to represent the USA. COMEBACK: Brittney Griner during the press conference with the Phoenix Mercury in March 2023. The braids were gone. Photo: AP Intense final Griner feels the US saved her life, and wants to give back. And as you know, she got a place on the superior basketball team. Just before leaving for France, life also became even more special for the star, when she and her wife Cherelle had their son Bash. – I am happy. I’m in a good place in life. Now I’m going to represent the United States, the country that fought to get me home, and I’m going to represent it well, she stated to NBC three weeks ago. OLYMPIC JUBILEE: Brittney Griner and A’Ja Wilson pose with the Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. In Paris, Griner won her third Olympic gold – but without braids. Photo: AP And both the team and Griner have convinced in the Olympics, but in the final they faced tough opposition from the home nation of France. At the break it was 25-25, and in the third period the white and blue took over the lead. The atmosphere in the hall was intense, Griner held his hands in front of his face down on the bench. The tension lasted until the very end, and after a dramatic last minute, the USA won by the smallest possible margin: 67–66. Their 10th Olympic gold. Grimer’s third overall and a kiss from his wife awaited on the sidelines. – There is some relief from the American team, said Eurosport commentator Bård Stoller. And the American team was relieved in the interviews after the dramatic final. – I wish I could put it into words, but I don’t think I’ll ever remember the last half. It’s very foggy right now. We were relentless and we did what we had to do, says basketball profile A’ja Wilson to Max. Published 11.08.2024, at 17.21 Updated 11.08.2024, at 17.57
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From Russian prison to Olympic gold for Brittney Griner – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
