"Actually excited to go" - Brittney Griner says there's no anxiety ahead of Paris Olympics after Russia nightmare

By Juan Paolo David

Modified Jul 24, 2024 10:31 GMT

Brittney Griner is feeling excited about representing Team USA again ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Griner doesn't feel anxious about going back overseas following her nightmare detention in Russia when she was playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

In an interview with Anscape's Marc J. Spears, Griner opened up on her first trip back to Europe since she was detained in Russia back in 2022. She feels safe with her teammates and is looking forward to playing in France. She considers this upcoming Olympics as her retirement from overseas play.

"The strength in numbers, what we're playing for, the standard, everybody that's came before us. Everything else kind of just blurs out. I got my eyes on the gold, being on that podium and I want to feel that feeling again. A lot of people don't get to feel that feeling. And I'm lucky and blessed to be able to be in this position. That is what is driving me right now," Griner said.

The Phoenix Mercury star added:

"I'm excited actually to go. My overseas career didn't really end the way I wanted it to. So, this is a way for me to do that on my own terms."

Brittney Griner was initially arrested in Russia on February 17, 2022, after airport authorities found vape cartridges containing hash oil. Cannabis is illegal in Russia, so she was detained and even had a trial. She was sentenced to nine years in prison and was even sent to a penal colony in Mordovia.

Griner was detained for about 10 months before the United States government agreed to a prisoner swap. In exchange for the WNBA star, the Russian government received arms dealer Viktor Bout.

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Brittney Griner on why winning a gold medal is important

Brittney Griner on why winning a gold medal is important. (Photo: IMAGN)

Brittney Griner is already a two-time Olympic gold medalist, helping Team USA win in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, Griner felt that winning another one in Paris next month would be more important after what happened to her in Russia.

"It always meant everything to me. My dad fought for our country. He is a Marine … So, it's always been something that we’ve always cherished, but now even more so. My country really saved my life and I'm able to represent them again and it just means so much more," Griner told Andscape.

Team USA is the favorite to win the gold medal for the eighth straight Olympics. However, they got off to a bad start in their preparation for the tournament with a 117-109 loss to Team WNBA in the 2024 All-Star Game in Phoenix. They did manage to beat 84-57 in their final game before the start of the group stage.