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Who is Gwen Berry?
Gwen Berry, an Olympic hammer thrower for the United States, made headlines at the Olympic trials by turning her back on the American flag during the national anthem.
The two-time Olympian recently finished 10th and 11th in the World Championships in Doha, 2019, and Tokyo, 2021, respectively.
The activist athlete also won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 2014 and was the 2019 champion before being suspended by the board for protesting the same year.
Gwen has had an amazing journey from a child in a rural hamlet in St Louis, Missouri, to the Field of Olympic Games, and is regarded as one of the top hammer throwers in the world.
The feisty beauty earned three gold medals in indoor championships!
She has also represented her country at the Olympic and Pan American Games.
Childhood and Family
Gwen Berry, the diva, was born on June 29, 1989, to Michael Berry and Laura Hayes.
Her birthplace is St Louis, Missouri, in the United States of America.
She has two brothers, Davon and Micheal, as well as a sister named Quincy.
Similarly, when Gwen was born, her father, Michael, was just 17 years old.
Initially, she lived with her mother, but her father believed that living with a large family would be beneficial to Gwen.
As a result, she moved in with her father’s family. In a family of 13, her grandma reared her.
They never had enough space, but she learned the value of having a caring family.
Track and Field Racism
Gwen observed prejudice all around her growing up but couldn’t figure out why.
Her father educated himself on African-American history and civil rights.
Even if Gwen was too little to grasp, he used to impart what he had learned to her.
Gwen has been an athlete since she was a toddler.
Being in a house full of children aided this even more.
Similarly, the children were constantly outside, playing and bouncing.
They used to play baseball, soccer, volleyball, and other sports.
During her school years, she began participating in team sports, and her athleticism shone brightest in basketball games.
Gwen also used to engage in track and field events on occasion.
She mostly did sprints and triple jumps.
Giving birth and continuing sports Gwen became pregnant with her son, Derrick, when she was 15 years old.
This circumstance altered several aspects of her life.
Micheal was also accepted into the Army after only a few weeks and deployed to Iraq.
This made things much more difficult for Gwen.
Gwen, on the other hand, did not abandon sports following the birth of her son.
During this period, her athletic career took off like a rocket.
Berry also graduated from McCluer High School in Florissant, Missouri. For three years, she set high jump records.
She received a scholarship from Southern Illinois as a result of her unrivaled talent.
She then attended university in 2007, where she majored in psychology and criminal justice.
Athlete development
College was two hours away from home, and she found it difficult to leave her son.
However, both she and her son’s father had to finish their schooling.
During this time, Derrick lived primarily with his paternal grandfather.
She threw the hammer for the first time throughout college! Her college coach advised her to try it after seeing her performance.
While she originally showed little interest, she soon discovered how much fun she was having.
So she made the life-altering decision. By 2008, she had already finished in the top five at the United States Junior Championships.
She now focused solely on hammer throwing.
Professional Life
Gwen’s professional career started after she graduated.
Initially, she concentrated on weight throws indoors and hammer throws outdoors.
Berry qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials with a hammer throw best of 71.95m 2012.
She was ranked second after Jessica Cosby at the time.
Despite the fact that she did not perform well and finished seventh, she received an invitation to join the prestigious New York Athletic Club.
Gwen ultimately won her first national title at the 2013 USA Indoors, which she repeated in 2014 and 2016.
She won gold in the 2014 Pan American Games with a score of 72.04.
Furthermore, she defeated three-time world champion Yipsi Moreno, who had been an inspiration to Gwen throughout her career.
Anti-doping Policies and Procedures
In 2016, Gwen’s performance truly shone. She won four straight games with throws over 24 meters.
She was the season’s top performer, with a best of 75.11m.
She was, however, suspended from March to June owing to a violation of anti-doping regulations.
It was not a performance-enhancing drug, but rather a prescribed medicinal inhaler, although the material was illegal under the regulations.
Despite this, she presently owns a weight throw world record of 25.6m, which she established in March 2017.
What happened during the 2019 Pan American Games?
The 2019 Pan Am games commenced in late July in Lima, Peru.
The Pan American Games, in which many countries compete in numerous sports, are a big event for athletes and sports fans.
Gwen, who had been ranked third in the world for several years, performed admirably in her competitions.
She eventually won a gold medal.
Something just overwhelmed Berry at her award ceremony, near the end of the national anthem.
Years of watching and experiencing discrimination as a person of color fueled her passion.
Similarly, her father’s years of study in black history prepared her to speak up whenever and wherever she could.
Berry couldn’t help but ponder about the world her son would grow up in.
As a result, she humbly bent and raised her fist in protest of everything wrong in the world.
Similarly, at another medal ceremony, US fencer Race Imboden took a knee to protest injustices against people of color and immigration.
The Aftermath
The Pan American Sports Organization is in charge of organizing the Pan American Games.
This organization adheres to the Olympic Charter.
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland addressed a letter to both athletes shortly after the incident.
The letter came with some awful news for both of them.
She then modified her position, writing, “I cherish Team USA players’ views and feel that their right to advocate for racial and social justice and work as a force for good merits the USOPC’s support.” My entire letter to Team USA participants.”
The athletic activist had been placed on probation for a year.
It further warned that repeating the same behaviors could incur more money.
For an athlete, being placed on probation for a year might signify a lot.
As soon as the Committee issued its judgment, both favorable and negative remarks began to pour in.
Some expressed their support, while others questioned her actions.
While some praised Gwen for what she has done, many called her an ‘anti-nationalist.’ Can you believe that?
Berry has declared repeatedly in interviews with C.B.S.
Sports that she cannot tolerate racism against people of race. She stated,
“However, I don’t want to discuss the anthem because it’s unimportant.”
The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It’s never happened.”
On another side, Gwen slowly started losing her key sponsors.
She estimated that the probation would cost her $50,000.
Following the incident, Gwen stated that, while she did it in the heat of the moment, she does not regret what she did.
After all, her acts had no negative consequences!
Athletes can protest outside the podium, but a single voice without an audience to hear it will have little effect.
In 2020, team Toyota humanitarian awards will thank her for her bravery.
Gwen also earned $10,000 for the honor, which she will donate to a charity of her choice.
All educational institutions that support minority students benefit:
Scholars Education Centre (South Florida), Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom School (New York), and New Era Prep (South Florida) (New Orleans).
Gwen’s greatest wish is that she will be able to raise her hand and speak up in the forthcoming Olympics without being penalized for it.
On the bright side, the United States Olympic Committee ruled in December 2020 that athletes will not be penalized for respectfully demonstrating in support of racial and social justice for all people.
During the Olympic Trials, Gwen Berry, a Hammer Thrower, and Social Activist turned her back on the stars and stripes.
They faced the stands as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem, was performed during the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Berry also put a black t-shirt with the words “Activist Athlete” on her hand at the end of the song.
While her competitors, first-place winner DeAnna Price and second-place winner Brooke Andersen, faced the flag with their hands over their hearts.
Berry claims that the timing of the anthem was not coincidental.
According to the A.P., she stated, “I feel like it was a set-up like they did it on purpose.” “To be honest, I was irritated,” she said.
According to Susan Hazzard, a spokesman for USA Track and Field, “the national anthem was set to play at 5:20 pm.”
We did not wait for the participants to take their places on the podium for the hammer throw honors.
Berry replied once more, claiming, “They stated they were going to play the anthem before we walked out, but they played it while we were out there.”
But, in any case, I don’t want to talk about the national anthem because it’s unimportant.”
Once again, the aftereffects
In the midst of all of this, an old photo of Berry proudly waving the national flag from her website went viral.
Brigitte Gabriel, the creator of A.C.T. America, confirmed, saying, ‘This image is directly from Gwen Berry’s website.’
Her entire ‘Activist Athlete’ persona appears to be a farce!’
“It appears that the American flag did not disturb Gwen Berry a few years ago,” author Nick Adams remarked.
While it’s not all an act!’ tweeted Donald Trump Jr.
Berry, on the other hand, turned to Twitter to clarify her side of the incident, saying,
“These statements demonstrate that: 1.) Americans choose patriotism over fundamental morals. 2.) Even after the murders of George Floyd and others, the advertising, comments, and fake sentiments towards black life were a sham.”
Former NFL player Jack Brewer attacked the US Olympic Committee on Fox News, saying the organization “has to do something about this nonsense,” and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said Berry should be “removed from the squad.”
Gwen Berry represented the United States in the hammer throw event at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021.
She finished 11th in the competition.
She is also pleased to be dressed in the red, white, and blue uniform with the letters “USA” written on it.
“I feel like I’ve earned the right to wear this outfit,” Berry says after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.
She had the third-best distance of the day in Group B as of August 1, 2021.
Gong Lijiao of China won gold in the shot put, defeating Raven Saunders of the United States, who tossed in her “Incredible Hulk” costume and purple-green hair and now holds a silver medal.
Berry’s perspective on mental health
The burgeoning theme of mental health has dominated the first 10 days of the Tokyo Olympics 2021, as key athletes such as Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles withdrew from the floors due to mental health difficulties.
Berry added that this is important to her as well, as her uncle died at the start of 2021, and her agent died soon before the Olympic trials in June.
“I thought I was going to abandon this sport in February,” Berry explained.
“It’s been difficult. Overall, I have to be thankful that I am alive, that I am here, and that I made it.”
Relationships, Gwen Berry
Gwen has a child from a high school relationship. The identity of her son’s father is unknown.
It is also unknown whether they are still together.
Gwen is secretive about her personal life.
Hopefully, we’ll find out more about her relationship soon.
Social Media
Gwen Berry is mostly active on her public Instagram, where she has 45.8k followers.
She has approximately 19k Twitter followers.
Berry is well-known on social media for her distinct dress sense, in addition to her fiery beliefs.
Berry is occasionally seen with unusual but stunning hairstyles.
That matched her bright and colorful lipstick colors, giving her the appearance of a true diva.
Her every post demonstrates her confidence in her own physique, which makes us admire her even more!
45.8k Followers on Instagram
Twitter: 19k Followers
554 on Facebook
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Gwen Berry’s Salary
Gwen Berry, an American athlete, has a net worth of between $1 and $5 million.
Though track and field is not a lucrative activity, becoming the greatest in her discipline provided her with other options.
Gwen lost a considerable chunk of her sponsorship as a result of the PAN AM incident, which she has openly criticized.
Nike, for example, withdrew their funds from her.
