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US Olympian Slammed For Turning Back On American Flag During National Anthem

US Olympian Gwen Berry has been slammed for turning her back on the American flag during the national anthem at trials.
Credit: @mzberrythrows_/Instagram & Pexels

US Olympian Gwen Berry has been slammed for turning her back on the American flag during the national anthem at trials.

The track and field athlete was stood on the podium for the hammer throw medal ceremony on June 26 when she turned away.

Although some have praised Berry for the move, others have argued it came across as ‘disrespectful’.

Watch the moment in the clip below…


Republican congressman Dan Crenshaw called out the sportswoman on Fox & Friends and said she should be barred from competing in the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year.

He fumed: “We don’t need any more activist athletes… She should be removed from the team. The entire point of the team is to represent the United States of America.”

According to Newsweek, Crenshaw said that all Olympians should be required to ‘believe’ in the US flag, and it needs to be a ‘bare minimum requirement’.

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However, the 32-year-old has defended her move and insisted she’s proud to be an American.

On Twitter, she penned: “I never said I hated this country! People try to put words in my mouth but they can’t. That’s why I speak out. I LOVE MY PEOPLE.”

Since the backlash, Berry has said she feels ‘set-up’ by the event’s organisers, as the anthem was played behind schedule.

A USA Track and Field spokesperson stated: “We didn’t wait until the athletes were on the podium for the hammer throw awards. The national anthem is played every day according to a previously published schedule.”

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Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.