Olympic Medalist Brittany Brown Honored With School Mural

The fourth grader with asthma who could barely go outside is now immortalized on her elementary school wall as an Olympic bronze medalist carrying a torch for the next generation.

Brittany Brown stood at Vista del Valle Elementary in Claremont this April, nearly 20 years after she first discovered she could run. The 31-year-old sprinter watched as her former school unveiled a mural honoring her journey from "sickly child" to 2024 Paris Olympics medalist.

"I grew up very sickly," Brown told reporters at the unveiling ceremony. "I had asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis. I never thought I'd be running because I just was not the person that would be running."

Brown's childhood included more than health struggles. Her family of six faced housing uncertainty, sometimes living in hotel rooms near the school while her parents worked to provide stability.

But Vista del Valle's 50th annual district track meet changed everything for young Brittany. As a fourth grader in 2007, she entered the race and felt something click.

"I remember running just felt very freeing," Brown said. "Like it just felt like, 'OK, I'm not the sick kid. I can just try and do something.' And I was also winning, so that helped as well."

Local artist Xiucoatl Mejia painted the mural showing adult Brown in a Vista track uniform, carrying a torch with children running behind her. Some of those children are actual students from the school's art club, who also helped paint sections of the track.

Why This Inspires

Third grader Levi Adams sees himself in the mural and knows it means something lasting. "It's special because when you're older you can go back and look at it," he said.

The ceremony took place right after this year's district track meet, where Brown handed out ribbons to young runners. Her mother, Yo-Landa, watched proudly, remembering the difficult years when the school and community provided crucial support for their struggling family.

Brown went on to set records at Claremont High in the 100-meter and 200-meter races before reaching the pinnacle of her sport in Paris. Now she returns to inspire kids who might feel like the odds are against them.

The mural's theme evolved during creation to symbolize "carrying the torch and paving the way for a better future." For students at Vista del Valle, that torch bearer is someone who once sat in their same classrooms, struggled with her health, and wondered if she'd ever be strong enough to run.

She looks confident in that mural because she earned every stride.