Griner, 33, spent 293 days in Russian custody for possession of cannabis oil, sentenced to nine years, and was freed after a prisoner exchange in December 2022 that culminated in the case and President Joe Biden welcomed her back.
– I mean, just having a chance to play for gold, represent my country, what my country did for me? Yes, this highlight for me right here, says Griner who won gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021.
Olympics in Paris 2024
SOK’s Peter Reinebo sums up Paris 2024: “Table tennis outdid themselves”
The USA won Olympic gold for the eighth time in a row – France close to a huge shock
She will give the medal from Paris that came in the very last branch to her newborn son Bash.
– It was a long journey, a hard journey to get back into it. I’m just happy that my body held up and that I could be here, says Griner, who had to settle for four points in the barely five minutes she was allowed to play.
Taurasi makes history with six consecutive Olympic golds
In Tokyo, she scored 30 points, the most by an American women’s player in an Olympic final. The US won its eighth straight gold in front of French President Emmanuel Macron.
42-year-old Diana Taurasi held up six fingers to show off her six straight golds, the only one in basketball history to accomplish that feat.
– Twenty years of wearing this shirt is truly a dream come true. It is an honor to have been able to share the field with the best in the world for 20 years, says Taurasi, who is now retiring despite the fact that the next Olympics will be held in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028.
– You will see me sitting on the beach with a beer in my hand, says Taurasi.