ICYMI: Douglasville's Castlin Takes Bronze in USA's 100-Meter Hurdles Sweep

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — The three fastest women's hurdlers in the world are Americans. And Douglasville's Kristi Castlin is one of them.

Castlin took bronze in the women's 100-meter hurdles Wednesday night at the Summer Olympics in Rio, completing the first medal sweep in the event in U.S. history.

Brianna Rollins won the gold medal, with a time of 12.48. Nia Ali took silver at 12.59 and Castlin finished the finals race in 12.61 seconds.

Castlin, 28, is a Douglasville native who graduated from Chapel Hill High School. She attended college at Virginia Tech.

According to an NBC video, Castlin has overcome not just literal hurdles, but figurative ones as well. She failed to make the 2012 Olympic team because of an injury.

Off the track, she also grew up without her father, who in 2000 was shot and killed while working as a night hotel manager in Cobb County.

"I experienced sadness. I would like for him to see these races and these experiences," she said in the video.

Castlin's mother, brother and other family members were in Rio to watch her race Wednesday night.

File photo by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, via Wikimedia Commons