Fresh from her fourth and final Olympic Games in Tokyo, during which she added a shiny new silver medal to her collection, world-class long jumper Brittney Reese has an impressive career by any measure.
Reese may be a 13-time U.S. champion and seven-time world champion in her sport, but there’s much more to the local track-and-field legend than her athletic prowess. Read on for five lesser-known facts about Gulfport’s own “golden girl.”
1. I AM A SHOE COLLECTOR.
I have a lot of shoes I have been collecting since I was in college. I’ve always loved Jordans, different types of Nikes and things like that. So as soon as my foot stopped growing my collection didn’t.
2. I LIKE TO COOK.
Growing up, I always helped my mom and grandmother in the kitchen, and I have grown to love cooking. Being from the South, I feel like you should know how to cook. A favorite that many of my teammates and friends like for me to make is homemade banana pudding.
3. I HAVE MY MBA.
In 2019, I graduated with my master’s in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship. I always felt that I wanted to go back and get my master’s, and it was something that I promised my mom, so I did it.
4. I WENT TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR BASKETBALL BEFORE TAKING A TRACK SCHOLARSHIP.
Before I went to the University of Mississippi for track, I played basketball at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. I think this might be one of the biggest things people didn’t know about me: I didn’t take a track scholarship straight out of high school; I played basketball first.
5. I WAS A SPRINTER BEFORE I WAS A LONG JUMPER.
I started track in the seventh grade, and I was a sprinter up until 11th grade, when I started long jumping. After my coach learned I could jump, I become a jumper more than a sprinter for the team.