Hope Lights the Way with Olympic Athlete Brianna McNeal

 Brianna McNeals Olympic Journey in her words:

"When they told us that the Olympics were being postponed, I cried for a little bit, honestly.

For 2020, preparing for the Olympics, I was super focused. It was like a tunnel vision kind of focused, because Olympics is one of the hardest teams to make, especially for Americans.

For myself, I felt like this was a special year, because I don't feel like I reached my full potential on the track. So I think that this year I had that mindset like, I'm going to just give it my all.

Everything that has kind of stopped. Life happened. It was like dang, I've been training so long for this year to plan out. And I'm on pause now."

"Training now, compared to before, is a lot different because we aren't able to get on the track. On my journey, I had many, many, many hurdles that I had to leap off the track. I was injured in high school, and it was a really bad injury that could have ended my career. And then I had two more injuries in college, where I had stress fractures in my back. So I was not able to compete during those collegiate years."

Brianna had a false start in the 2019 World Championships, where she was hoping to win her second championship. "I was devastated. ... I was so devastated, but I think that it sparked a fire. I would say that it sparked a fire in me. And I don't know, maybe if that didn't happen, I probably wouldn't be fighting as hard as I am to be my best.

I feel like any person, anywhere, could do anything that they put their minds to. It's just about manifesting that within yourself first and then taking action and doing those things. All you got to do is believe. That's the first step, believing."

"...I just want to share with everyone to just always have hope, and just hope in the Lord, and just remember that if we always hope in God, that our strength will be renewed each and every day, no matter how low we may get on certain days, or when things just aren't going our way — just always have that hope in life.

I feel like hope is just never-ending. It's something that is everlasting. So I think that's what this bracelet represents. It's something that's everlasting; it can never go anywhere as long as you just continue to hold on to it." — Brianna McNeal

Together, we are Team USA. Together, we are the world. Together, we RISE.

Together, we run the race for God.
May all Glory be for Him and may God bless America.