Between representing the United States on the world stage and traveling overseas for the first time since her 10-month detention in a Russian prison, the 2024 Olympics were already going to be an emotional experience for Brittney Griner.
Then she learned that in an extensive political prisoner swap with Russia, the U.S. had secured the release of four detainees including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Following the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team’s victory over Belgium yesterday, Griner answered a question about her response to hearing the news of the prisoner swap.
“Great day! It’s a great day. It’s a great day,” she told the Olympic media, “We’ll talk more about it later. But head-over-heels happy for the families right now. Any day that Americans come home, that’s a win. That’s a win.”
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When asked a follow-up question about her feelings upon hearing the news, Griner noted that she was “definitely emotional.”
“I’m sure it’ll be emotional even more a little bit later on. Yeah, I’m just happy. Like this is a big win. A huge win,” she said.
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After President Biden and his negotiators secured Griner’s release in December of 2022, several pundits called attention to Whelan’s continued plight as a Russian detainee and his service as a Marine in an attempt to score political points against the Biden Administration.
Once she returned to the United States, Griner herself repeatedly advocated for Whelan’s release and urged fans to write letters of support to him during his detention.
So the news that the U.S. had secured Whelan’s freedom must have been particularly emotional for her.
Later that day, Griner and her wife Cherelle posted a joint statement on the release of the detainees to her Instagram account.
After echoing Brittney’s emotional words to the sports media, the Griners expressed their support for Biden and the officials who had conducted the successful negotiations.
“The Biden-Harris Administration showed true leadership once again by doing whatever it took to bring Americans home. Every American returned is a win,” they wrote.
Furthermore, the Griners added that even in the wake of such joyous news, “our hearts go out to the many Americans still being held hostage overseas, and their families. As we extend support to those who have returned and celebrate the collective hands that helped to make American families whole — we must continue to do everything we can to shine a light on the remaining Americans detained.
Having gone through the ordeal of being a political prisoner, Griner can viscerally identify with what the released detainees are experiencing now.
The fact that she’s processing these feelings while continuing to play for Olympic gold with her teammates is an astounding feat of mental and physical fortitude.
