Once a 'sickly' child, Olympic medalist Brittany Brown now has a mural at her elementary school
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Brittany Brown looks strong.She looks confident.She looks capable of achieving her dreams.That’s how Brown looks in the mural painted in her honor at Vista del Valle Elementary — and it’s how the 31-year-old U.S.
sprinter feels in real life nearly two years after winning a bronze medal in the women’s 200 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Olympics Artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr.
created a mural in Gardena honoring U.S.figure skater Alysa Liu, inspired not only by her Olympic gold medals but her personal journey of self-discovery.But that’s not always how she felt decades ago during her time as a student at the Claremont school.
“I grew up very sickly,” Brown told The Times last month while visiting Vista del Valle for a mural unveiling ceremony.“I had asthma.
I had pneumonia, bronchitis....
I never thought I’d be running because I just was not the person that would be running.I was told to stay inside, not go outside.”Brown’s family also faced housing uncertainty and financial struggles during that time.
They moved around a lot, and sometimes Brown and her family — mother, Yo-Landa, father Wayne, older sister, Brandi, twin brother, Brandon, and younger brother, Bryan — found themselves living in a hotel room near the elementary school.Her mother told The Times that the school and the community provided invaluable support during those trying times.“I think emotionally, it took a toll on her,” Yo-Landa Brown said.
“But, of course, she was always joyful.She was very observant.
She was kind.I could tell she used to cry a lot, but we all just tried to keep things calm and collected around her.”The mural ceremony was held April 24 immediately after the school’s 50th annual district track meet, where Brown interacted with the participants and handed out ribbons.
Vista del Valle Elementary hosts all seven elementary schools in the district each year...