Gwen Berry, a hammer thrower, made headlines at the US Olympic Trials when she turned away from the flag during the delayed playing of the national anthem, calling it a “set-up”.
Berry, known for her athlete activism, previously raised her fist during the 2019 Pan American Games national anthem to protest the Trump presidency. This time, after the anthem ended, she covered her head with a t-shirt bearing the words: “Activist Athlete”.
The incident happened as Berry was awarded a bronze medal for the hammer throw trials. Unlike the Olympics, the national anthem is not played at every medal ceremony during the US Trials. Yet, throughout the week, the anthem was played on the scoreboard before the evening session, where the hammer throw medals were presented.
Berry expressed feeling “pissed” and believed the timing of the anthem was intentional, calling it a “set-up”. On the other hand, a spokesperson for US Track and Field explained that the anthem was part of a pre-arranged schedule and was set to play at 5:20 pm daily. However, it was delayed by five minutes on Saturday, starting only once the athletes were on the podium despite them being informed it would play before they walked out.
