By AFP Staff
The first black woman to win a gold medal in Olympic wrestling for the United States and only the second American woman overall told reporters that she loves living in the United States and thanked God for making her victory possible.
When a reporter asked Tamyra Mensah-Stock asked about the American flag draped around her shoulders, she hugged the flag and said, “I love representing the U.S. I freaking love living there. And I’m so happy I get to represent USA!”
When asked about her victor where she won the Gold Medal, she said, “I surprise myself, it’s by the grace of God I’m even able to move my feet. . . . Like I just leave it in his hands and I pray that all the practice that, the hell that my fricking coaches put me through pays off. And every single time it does. And I get better and better. And it’s so weird that there is no cap to the limit that I can do. And I’m excited to see what I have next.”
Mensah-Stock’s attitude is in stark contrast to Gwen Berry, who claimed the U.S. National Anthem is “disrespectful” to black Americans. Berry has protested the playing of the U.S. Nationla Anthem in the past as well.
Conservatives blasted Berry for reaction, prompting the satire site “Babylon Bee” to post an article mocking Berry with the headline, “Athlete So Oppressed By America That She’s Representing America In The Olympics.”
You can watch the press conference with Mensah-Stock below.
All glory to God! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/CRdqbTuXw1
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) August 3, 2021
Go U.S.A. Go U.S.A.