During the medal ceremony for the U.S. track and field Olympic trials, Gwen Berry, Olympian and third-place finisher in the hammer throw on Saturday, …
During the medal ceremony for the U.S. track and field Olympic trials, Gwen Berry, Olympian and third-place finisher in the hammer throw on Saturday, turned away from the flag as the national anthem played. Berry, who earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic hammer-throwing team this weekend in Eugene, Ore., told the Associated Press she felt she’d been “set up” after being told the anthem would play before medalists walked out to the podium for the award ceremony. She turned, placed her hand on her hip, and near the end of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” held up a T-shirt reading “Activist Athlete” and draped it over her head. “They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there,” Berry said. According to USA Track and Field spokesperson Susan Hazzard, the national anthem had been scheduled to play at 5:20 p.
