PARIS (AP) — Standing on the medal stand with her third gold medal draped around her neck, Brittney Griner looked at the U.S. flag with tears streaming down her cheeks during the national anthem.
She didn't wipe them away until after the anthem ended, never trying to hide how she feels representing her country 612 days after the U.S. got the American star home after 10 months in a Russian prison.
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United States' Brittney Griner, left, (15) and United States' Kahleah Copper (7) block a shot form Sarah Michel Boury, right, (10), of France, during a women's gold medal basketball game between the United States and France at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)
United States' Brittney Griner kisses her gold medal at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Alexia Chery (6), of France, and United States' Brittney Griner (15) battle for a rebound during a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) shoots over Iliana Rupert (12), of France, during a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner, left, (15) and United States' Kahleah Copper (7) block a shot form Sarah Michel Boury, right, (10), of France, during a women's gold medal basketball game between the United States and France at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)
The United States team celebrates their gold medal win at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) United States' Kahleah Copper (7) and United States' Kelsey Plum (5) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Brittney Griner bites her gold medal at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner wipes a tear after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Not with all that this moment meant.
Griner didn't think she'd have this chance again.
“This one meant a lot to me," Griner said after the U.S. held off France 67-66 to win an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal in women’s basketball Sunday. "I mean, just having a chance to play for gold, represent my country, what my country did for me? Yeah, this is the highest on the pinnacle right here.”
This gold medal victory capped a long road back for Griner, who was sitting in a Russian penal colony two years ago not sure if she would ever get home again, let alone play basketball or compete in a third Olympics being held in Europe so close to Russia.
She had been sentenced to nine years behind bars for drug possession and smuggling in Russia, spending 10 months in jail before she was part of a high-profile prisoner exchange in December 2022. Griner, a Phoenix Mercury center who had been playing basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason when she was detained, said she would never play internationally again except with USA Basketball.
Now, Griner has her third gold medal playing for the U.S. and plans to place this one next to her newborn son, Bash.
“It was a long journey, a hard journey to get back into it," the 33-year-old said. "I’m just happy that my body was able to hold up and be able to be here.”
Griner has learned to appreciate the little things at the Olympics more than she did the first two times she played in them, in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and in 2021 in Tokyo. In 2021, Griner led the U.S. with 30 points, the most points ever scored by a U.S. player in a gold-medal game.
That was three years ago, but Griner's ordeal in Russia left her appreciating the mundane details of each day.
“Waking up, going to practice, even when you don’t want to practice, having the opportunity to do that, because we overlook it," she said. "That’s the opportunity that we get to do and I just cherish every second I can now.”
During these Games, the U.S. pulled off another high-profile prisoner exchange hours before Griner took the court during pool play. Knowing that more Americans were coming home had her “head over heels” happy at their return.
Teammate Diana Taurasi, who helped lobby for Griner's return during her detention, stood two teammates away from Griner during the medal ceremony and anthem. Taurasi said she could sense Griner's emotions and called it almost “mind-boggling” that Griner got back to this point.
“She’s a person that is grateful for all the support that she got through all this,” Taurasi said. "And it wasn’t easy. And it’s still not easy for her. She still carries a big burden ... to make sure everyone gets out. She carries that burden really heavy on her back.”
During the game itself, Griner scored four quick points and finished with two rebounds in the win.
She celebrated the victory on the basketball court with lots of hugs, including from Lisa Leslie and others cheering on the Americans at Bercy Arena, essentially a road game for the U.S. with French President Emmanuel Macron in the stands.
"The gold (medal game) is just the icing on the cake, being in the Olympics ... as well,” Griner said.
Then came time to celebrate again as the Americans huddled at midcourt for photos. Griner took out a phone for the team selfie with her right hand, using her left hand to hold up her latest gold medal.
This definitely was a moment to be remembered.
AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
United States' Brittney Griner kisses her gold medal at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Alexia Chery (6), of France, and United States' Brittney Griner (15) battle for a rebound during a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) shoots over Iliana Rupert (12), of France, during a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner, left, (15) and United States' Kahleah Copper (7) block a shot form Sarah Michel Boury, right, (10), of France, during a women's gold medal basketball game between the United States and France at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (Gregory Shamus/Pool Photo via AP)
The United States team celebrates their gold medal win at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) United States' Kahleah Copper (7) and United States' Kelsey Plum (5) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner (15) and United States' Chelsea Gray (8) celebrate after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
United States' Brittney Griner bites her gold medal at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
United States' Brittney Griner wipes a tear after a women's gold medal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Israeli military said Wednesday its soldiers killed an alleged militant in Gaza whom it said posed a threat to its forces, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stretched into a fourth day.
It appeared to be the first time since the ceasefire began Sunday that the Israeli military said it struck targets in Gaza. It was not clear whether the killing would affect the deal.
The truce is supposed to bring calm to war-battered Gaza for at least six weeks and see 33 Hamas-held hostages released in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces are pressing ahead with a major military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for a second day. At least 10 people have been killed, Palestinian health officials say.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages still remain in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed dead. The rest have been released, rescued, or their bodies recovered.
Israel’s military campaign has killed over 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities but do not say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Here's the latest:
UNITED NATIONS – Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington to meet President Donald Trump “in a few weeks.”
Danny Danon told reporters Wednesday: “I’m sure he would be one of the first foreign leaders invited to the White House.”
Danon said he expects their discussions to include the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the release of hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel.
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said Wednesday its soldiers killed an alleged militant in Gaza whom it said posed a threat to forces, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stretched into a fourth day.
It appeared to be the first time the Israeli military said it struck targets in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began Sunday. It was not clear whether the killing would affect the deal.
The military said troops in southern Gaza saw several armed suspects. It said troops then “eliminated” an alleged militant with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group identified by the military as Akram Atef Farhan Zanon.
The militant group had no immediate comment.
The ceasefire will see a six-week pause in the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israel and Hamas are expected to begin talks soon over extending the truce.
Israel's military has said it will uphold the agreement but would act against perceived threats.
DAMASCUS, Syria — U.N. special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Wednesday during a visit to Damascus that forming a new national army in Syria should be a priority for the country’s rulers — the former insurgents who toppled President Bashar Assad.
Bringing Syria's disparate factions together into one military is “vital for stability, but it also requires careful management in a way that avoids competing armies and fragmented command structures,” he said.
Pedersen said he is concerned about ongoing fighting in northeastern Syria between Turkish-backed groups and U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces.
He said Turkey and the U.S. have crucial roles to play in negotiating an end to the fighting “so this does not end in the full military confrontation that will not serve the interests of the Syrian people,” he said.
He also criticized Israel’s occupation of Syrian territory in a buffer zone set up as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement. Israeli forces captured the area after Assad’s fall, and Israeli officials have said they will remain there until a new arrangement is established to ensure Israel’s security.
“There is no excuse for what is what the Israelis are now doing,” Pedersen said. “And this needs to stop.”
BEIRUT — Syria's new foreign minister said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos that his country hopes it can follow in the footsteps of economic powerhouses like Singapore and Saudi Arabia as it begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of war.
“We need the help of the international community to help us in this new experiment,” Asaad al-Shibani said.
He also pledged that Syria's government and constitution will be representative of all of the country's communities.
Western nations, although they have moved to restore ties with Damascus since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown by a lightning insurgent offensive last month, are still somewhat circumspect about the new rulers, led by the Islamist former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
“All the time they ask us about the how to guarantee the rights of (this or) that group and how to guarantee the rights of the woman — in Syria all of us will be under the Constitution and under the rule of law,” al-Shibani said.
The committee of experts formed to draft a new constitution — a process that could take years — will comprise all “the different groups of Syria” including women, he said.
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Wednesday it was drawing down soldiers from the Gaza Strip, as a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas holds for a fourth day.
Also Wednesday, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said that troops will begin to withdraw Saturday from a corridor that bisects northern Gaza from the south. That will pave the way for Palestinians prevented from heading north to return to their homes.
The withdrawal would only happen once the next batch of hostages set to be freed Saturday are in Israeli custody, Shoshani said.
The military shared footage of what it said were tanks crossing out of Gaza. It said the force leaving, the Givati Brigade Combat Team, spent weeks in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, where Israel launched a major offensive late last year.
Under the first stage of the three-phase ceasefire agreement, Israel is to withdraw troops from parts of Gaza and displaced Palestinians will begin returning to what's left of their homes.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s new defense minister is ready for “all possibilities” in negotiations with U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces who control northeastern Syria, with the intention of having the war-torn country under one military force.
The former rebels who now run Syria’s government have rejected any form of federalism or autonomous regions, and aim to have all weapons solely under state control.
“We want a solution with the administration that runs eastern Syria in order to preserve the Kurdish component and find a peaceful solution with them and not to cause a large-scale war,” Murhaf Abu Qasra told reporters Wednesday.
The Kurdish forces have been fighting with Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria in the weeks since President Bashar Assad was overthrown. Turkey wants to create a border buffer zone free of the Kurdish forces, but the Kurds have been a key U.S. ally in combatting Islamic State group sleeper cells.
JENIN, West Bank — Hundreds of Palestinians were trapped in a hospital by an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank that has killed at least 10 people in two days, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Wednesday.
The Israeli military said its forces were trying to detonate explosive devices planted by militants beneath the road outside the hospital in the city of Jenin, and had told patients and doctors not to exit the hospital during the detonations. Dozens of military bulldozers have carved up tracts of roads in Jenin.
A nurse inside the Jenin Government Hospital said patients were “terrified” as hundreds of people were unable to leave for hours.
On Wednesday afternoon, pregnant women and older adults, one carrying an infant bundled in a blanket against the winter chill, walked past ambulances and armored vehicles away from the hospital and the Jenin refugee camp, as gunfire echoed down the empty streets and Israeli military drones and aircraft buzzed low overhead.
“There’s no medicine, no food, no supplies, nothing,” said Ashram Abu Sroor, shaking his head as he exited the hospital.
Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israeli forces had begun the large operation in Jenin with the main goal of clearing roadside bombs placed by militants under streets and civilian infrastructure aimed at Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces have regularly clashed with Palestinian militants in Jenin in recent years, even before the war in Gaza.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. Escalations in one area frequently spill over.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a ship they seized in November 2023 at the start of their campaign in the Red Sea corridor.
The rebels said Wednesday they released the sailors after mediation by Oman.
The crew of 25 included mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel. They then had a campaign targeting ships in international waters, which only stopped with the recent ceasefire in Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
JERUSALEM — Israel says it will maintain control of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday denied reports that the Palestinian Authority would control the crossing.
It said local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas who had been vetted by Israeli security would merely stamp passports at the crossing. It noted that, under international agreements, this stamp “is the only way Gazans may leave the Strip in order to enter, or be received in, other countries.”
The statement said Israeli forces would surround the crossing and that Israel must approve the movement of all people and goods through it. It said European Union monitors would supervise the crossing.
Israel captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing last May, forcing it to shut down. Egypt, a key mediator in more than a year of negotiations that led to the ceasefire, has demanded that Palestinians control the Gaza side.
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Gaza says trucks from the U.N., aid groups, governments and the private sector are arriving and no major looting has been reported -– just a few minor incidents.
Nearly 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire Tuesday, the United Nations said. That's significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal.
Muhannad Hadi, who returned to Jerusalem from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, told U.N. reporters by video that it was one of the happiest days of his 35-year humanitarian career to see Palestinians in the streets looking ahead with hope, some heading home and some starting to clean up the roads.
In his talks with families at a communal kitchen run by the U.N. World Food Program and elsewhere, he said, they all told him they need humanitarian assistance but want to go home, to work and earn money.
“They don’t like the fact that they have been depending on humanitarian aid,” Hadi said.
Palestinians talked about resuming education for their children and about the need for shelter, blankets and new clothes for women who have been wearing the same clothes for more than a year. He said a shipment of tents is expected in the coming days.
Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, speaks during a press conference in Damascus Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A family drives past tanks that belonged to the Assad regime, in Nawa, near Daraa, Syria, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hasan AlShaibani attend the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Palestinians watch as a bulldozer clears the rubble of destroyed residential buildings damaged by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israeli army vehicles are seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Humanitarian aid trucks enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, days after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians look at their destroyed home, in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, days after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Israeli military vehicles guard a road where a military bulldozer operates in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Israeli military vehicles guard a road where a military bulldozer operates in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians look at Israeli military vehicles guard a road where a military bulldozer operates in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
An Israeli drone flies while Israeli military vehicles guard a road where a military bulldozer operates in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners carry the body of Ahmad Nimer Al-Shaib after he was killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners carry the body of Ahmad Nimer Al-Shaib after he was killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners cry as they attend the funeral of Ahmad Nimer Al-Shaib after he was killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners carry the body of Ahmad Nimer Al-Shaib after he was killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners comfort each other during the funeral of Ahmad Nimer Al-Shaib after he was killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank village of Bruqin, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Hamas fighters secure aid trucks that arrived the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel went into effect. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Manual Aslim walks through the rubble of her destroyed home, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Nour Abu Al Zamar salvage items from under the rubble of her destroyed family home, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, days after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)