Team USA’s Gwen Berry vows to repeat her protest as she advanced to Tuesday’s finals in the women’s hammer throw.
When asked what she might do on the podium if she wins a medal.
“I haven’t given it much thought because it’s easy,” she said. “I’m going to represent, and that’s it.”
Berry said her first goal is to win, her second to do her best.
“My third goal is just to represent, man,” she said. “Represent the oppressed people. That’s been my message for the last three years. Just making sure that I bring awareness to the situations that are going on around the world, but especially in America with oppression and social injustice, for sure.”
Berry said she was “targeted” at the Olympic trials and that the media “capitalized off the moment” because they “knew” how she would react.
“I brought awareness to the situation that I feel like is important to focus on — I don’t feel like it was important to focus on me not standing for the flag or whatever, but what my message is,” she said. “I’ve just been compartmentalizing it and I’m just focused on what I need to do because all those people who hate me, they aren’t here, so they can’t affect me.”
In 2019, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee put Berry and fencer Race Imboden on probation for a year after she raised a fist and he kneeled to protest against social injustice during the medal ceremony at the Pan American Games in Peru.
At the Olympic trials in June, Berry turned away from the flag during the national anthem.
“I feel like I’ve earned the right to wear this uniform,” Berry said first, addressing critics who claimed she should be replaced by a more patriotic athlete, or that she could forgo her position on Team USA if competing under the American flag was a problem.
The Daily Wire previously reported, some lawmakers had floated the idea of booting Berry from the team if she continued to denigrate the United States.
“I’ll represent the oppressed people,” Berry added. “That’s been my message for the last three years.”
