Iowa
Ex-Iowa Hawkeye Brittany Brown wins bronze medal in women’s 200m at 2024 Olympics
Former Iowa Hawkeye sprinter Brittany Brown is an Olympic medalist.
With a time of 22.20 seconds in the women’s 200-meter final, Brown placed third to earn a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
She is the first woman from Iowa’s program to earn an individual Olympic medal in track and field, according to Iowa Athletics.
More: Resiliency carries former Iowa sprinter Brittany Brown to first Olympics
The 29-year-old sprinter was one of two USA runners to medal, with Gabrielle Thomas winning gold with a time of 21.83.
Brown, a Southern California native, qualified for the Games after placing second in the women’s 200 during the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 29, running a personal-best time of 21.90.
She then won both of her pre-final Olympic heats with times of 22.38 and 22.12.
Her success this summer comes after a slew of injuries and setbacks over the past two years. A sports hernia led to osteitis pubis, which limits productivity from the hips, pelvis and groin area. A labrum tear in Brown’s hip caused so much pain that she required numerous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections spread across several months.
Her last one came roughly three months before qualifying for the Olympics.
“How I got here was with a lot of resilience,” Brown told the Register in July. “I wasn’t like a child prodigy or this coach saw me (early on) and knew I was going to be great. A lot of just picking myself up every time a setback has happened or anything hasn’t been the easiest.”
Brown is Iowa’s 26th track Olympian and first since Kineke Alexander, Troy Doris and Diane Nukuri-Johnson qualified for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to Iowa Athletics.
During her Iowa career, Brown become an 11-time all-American with school records in the 100 and 200 meters.
Full Olympics women’s 200m final results
- Gabriella Thomas, 21.83 (USA)
- Julien Alfred, 22.08 (Saint Lucia)
- Brittany Brown, 22.20 (USA)
- Dina Asher-Smith, 22.22 (Great Britain)
- Daryll Neita, 22.23 (Great Britain)
- Favour Ofili, 22.24 (Nigeria)
- McKenzie Long, 22.42 (USA)
- Jessika Gbai, 22.70 (Ivory Coast)