Former Tiger Rollins wins gold
RIO DE JANEIRO — Former Clemson athlete Brianna Rollins won the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles on Wednesday in the Olympics, and had United States teammates Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin in tow as the y finished 1-2-3 to give the U.S.its first sweep in the event.
It was the seventh time in the history of U.S. Olympic track and field and the 23rd for U.S. women, regardless of sport, over the history of the Summer Games.
Rollins clocked a time of 12.48 seconds to win the even and beoame the first Clemson female to win a gold medal in an individual event in the Olympics in any sport.
After they saw their names come up on the scoreboard, they huddled together, hugged and jumped up and down before grabbing their U.S. flags from the stands.
“I knew that I got the gold, but I just wanted to make sure that my other teammates got their medals, as well,” Rollins said.
It was a not-all-unexpected result, though this might be an eye-opener: Both 2008 champion Dawn Harper-Nelson and the current world-record holder, Keni Harrison, were back home after failing to crack the top three at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Rollins ran a smooth semifinal with a time of 12.47, winning easily to advance to the final.
She then put together a convincing victory, winning by .11 seconds to win all three of her rounds over a 2-day stretch. Rollins is Clemson’s first individual gold medalist in any Olympic event since Shawn Crawford won the men’s 200-meter dash in Athens, Greece, in 2004.
How about this for an early birthday present: About an hour after the race -- then Thursday -- Rollins turned 25 years old.
“I tried to feed off all the positive energy from Team USA,” Rollins said. “We were able to come out here and fulfill our dreams. It was an amazing opportunity. I was trying to enjoy each and every moment. I’m just happy to share the moment with Kristi and Nia.”
The monumental achievement adds to an impressive list of accolades for Rollins. Rollins has now won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship, two USA Championships and three NCAA Championships over her decorated career.