Olympic Silver Medalist Anna Cockrell made a trip back to her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to visit the Johnson C. Smith University track team. Cockrell took home a silver medal in the 400m race at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Although she didn’t attend Johnson C. Smith, she has familial ties to the university, as her father, Kieth Cockrell, is the vice chair of the board of trustees. Cockrell had a successful career in high school track at Providence Day in Charlotte, where current Johnson C. Smith University track coach Carol Lawrence coached her.
At the school’s football and track complex, the Irwin Belk Complex, Cockrell met with the track team. Cockrell became the NCAA champion in the 100- and 400-meter hurdle events in 2021. Showing them her Olympic silver medal and an official squad USA blazer, Cockrell talked to the team about the sacrifices she made in college that helped her get to the Olympics. She went from being the NCAA National Champion to competing in the women’s 400-meter hurdle final at the Tokyo Olympics, and winning a silver medal in the Paris Olympics thanks to those sacrifices…