Charlotte native Anna Cockrell wins first Olympic medal
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"I'm just overwhelmed. I'm overcome," Cockrell said after the race. "There's not much you can say when you have a PB and you win a medal." Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Charlotte native Anna Cockrell has won her first Olympic medal Thursday.
Driving the news: The Providence Day alumna won silver in the women's 400-meter hurdles, running a personal best 51.87 seconds.
Catch up quick: This is Cockrell's second Olympics. She also competed in Tokyo.
- She graduated with honors from the University of Southern California in 2019.
Zoom in: Cockrell was singing Beyoncé's "Love on Top" before the race after her coach Lawrence "Boogie" Johnson told her to have fun, be herself, go out there and be Beyoncé, she said after the race.
What she's saying: "This has been a dream that's been years in the making. I've moved multiple times, I moved to Texas, I live in Arkansas now," Cockrell said. "I sacrificed a lot, my family has sacrificed a lot."
- "So, to do this today, when it counts the most, on the biggest of stages, with my whole family here, we're all over there crying our eyes out," she said. "I'm truly a talker, and I have no words. That's how you know it means a lot."
Zoom out: Cockrell's dad, Kieth Cockrell, is Charlotte market president for Bank of America. Her brother, Ross Cockrell, won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Her sister, Ciera Cockrell, is a J.D. candidate at Howard University School of Law.
Go deeper: Meet the Olympians and Paralympians with North Carolina ties heading to Paris
