SIU-Carbondale graduate Deanna Price finished 8th in the hammer throw at the Summer Olympics in Rio.
But, without some unfortunate luck, she believes she could've finished in medal contention.
The Moscow Mills, Missouri native says she had a bad reaction to some anti-inflammatory medication for a back injury just before she was to throw in the Olympic games.
"I was throwing the 10 lb. hammer over 73 meters, which is heavier. But, two days before competition, my face swelled up. The left side of my face went paralyzed. My lips looked like a bad Lindsay Lohan, bad Botox going on there."
Price says she was able to receive an emergency treatment exemption to relieve the paralysis and swelling.
"I ended up sleeping for over 15 hours the next day, which is not a good thing. Usually with being a thrower, you need to manipulate your CNS, which is your Central Nervous System, so it's firing on all cylinders. But, with taking Benadryl and Prednisone, it kind of knocks you down and you're not able to activate your muscles like they need to to perform."
The bronze medal throw, using the lighter ball, measured 74.5 meters.
Price says this makes her even more determined to perform at her best in the 2020 games in Tokyo.
"At 2020, I think I can definitely be in the top 3...hands down. It's going to be hard coming after Anita at 82 (meters), but I definitely feel the potential and I just have this great feeling that I can do something really big."
The gold medal winner, Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, set a world record of 82.29 meters. Price's personal best in the hammer is 73.09 meters, set at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Price is also one of the Olympic athletes to have their medical records published by Russian hackers. She says they prove she has been receiving treatment for various injuries in accordance with the rules.
