BLACKSBURG – Kristi Castlin, a seven-time All-American and graduate of Virginia Tech, won a bronze medal in the women’s 100-meter hurdles on Wednesday evening at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Competing for Team USA, the Douglasville, Georgia, native became the first Hokie to claim an Olympic medal since former men’s basketball standout Bimbo Coles in 1988. Coles also won a bronze medal while playing for the U.S. Olympic basketball squad that finished third at the 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul, Korea. Castlin and Coles are the only two current or former Tech athletes to win a medal at the Olympics.
The U.S. swept the podium in the 100 hurdles in track and field’s final event of the night, as USA teammate Brianna Rollins finished first overall (12.48 seconds), followed by Nia Ali (12.59) in second and Castlin in third with a time of 12.61 seconds. The sweep was the first time in Olympic history that one country has owned the 100-meter hurdles podium.
Castlin also clocked a semifinal time of 12.76 seconds earlier in the evening, placing first in her heat and advancing to the finals.
Of note, Tech teammate Marcel Lomnicky, competing for his native Slovakia, tossed a best throw of 74.16 meters (243 feet, 4 inches) to advance to the hammer throw finals, while representing Team Slovakia. The final round is set for Friday at 8:05 p.m.
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