American track and field star Brittney Reese won a gold medal in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics. Shortly afterwards, Reese suffered a leg injury so severe that she considered retiring. But Reese’s mother, Carla Young, told her daughter not to give up. “It was a rough time,” Young said about watching Brittney struggle to compete again, “but she [Brittney] had determination to make a full recovery and she did.” Now Reese is vying for another gold medal in the long jump at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Young says Reese has decided that “if she doesn’t break the record this time, that next year she’s going to get it.” Brittney Reese and fellow American athlete Tianna Bartoletta will both participate in the long jump which will be televised during the 2016 Summer Olympics Primetime coverage which begins Wednesday, August 17 at 8pm on NBC.
