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Coastal Carolina Alum Wins Olympic Bronze Medal

Author Debbie Nance
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 03: Melissa Jefferson of Team United States celebrates winning the bronze medal after competing the Women's 100m Final on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 03, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

We’ve had Olympic fever lately, closely watching the Paris games for days now. And, we couldn’t be more proud of the Coastal Carolina alum Olympic medal win. So, what’s her story, and how did she get to the podium?

Coastal Carolina Alum Olympic Medal Win

Melissa Jefferson, a Georgetown, South Carolina native, took home the bronze medal in this weekend’s women’s 100-meter dash final, finishing behind Sha’ Carri Richardson and Julia Alfred of St. Lucia. And, her alma mater wasted no time in posting the good news on its social media sites.

In a Facebook post, Coastal Carolina posted Jefferson’s win with the words, “A medal today, a legacy forever.” And, in another post the university praised the ‘Chant’ saying, “Teal and BRONZE!” The school’s colors just happen to include a bronze color along with teal in reference to the campus proximity to the beach.

According to WPDE, the Coastal Carolina alum Olympic medal win came after Jefferson turned in a time of 10.96 to advance to the semifinal, where she finished second in heat three. And, Jefferson’s bronze medal came after a 10.92 finish in the 100 meters. She qualified for this year’s Olympics in Eugene, Oregon back in June.

What Led To This Coastal Carolina Alum Olympic Medal Win

According to MyHorryNews.com, Melissa Jefferson competed for the Chants from 2020-2022, making quite a name for herself as the first individual NCAA national champion in the school’s history in 2022.

And, in several interviews she gives credit to her ‘village’ and the support of those around her in good times and bad. Also, of Coastal Carolina, she says, “I feel like Coastal definitely helped me grow. When it came time for me to choose [a college], Coastal ended up being my very first choice. I would say that paid off.”

It’s always nice to see team USA on the podium. And, it’s especially nice to see someone from so close to home representing and making us proud. CHANTS UP! And, congratulations to Melissa Jefferson and the Coastal Carolina alum Olympic medal win.

Debbie Nance is the afternoon co-host along with her husband on "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been with the station for 18 years. Debbie is a CMA Award winner for Radio Personality of the Year. And, she has worked in radio for 40 years. Before her current afternoon position, Debbie spent more than a decade as co-host on morning shows in several markets across the Southeast. As a content creator for Country 1037, Debbie writes articles about food, new restaurants in the Carolinas and travel experiences.

11 Random Facts About The Winter Olympics You Probably Didn't Know

As the 2022 Olympic Winter Games are now upon us, we venture back into that world of not just watching the games each day but learning about the various winter sports and the games themselves.

We gathered 11 random things about the Winter Olympics that we bet you didn’t know.

  • The only country to have won a gold medal at every Olympic Winter Games is the United States.

  • Until 1992, the Olympic Summer Games and the Olympic Winter Games were held in the same year.

  • The oldest person to receive a medal at the Olympic Winter Games is Anders Haugen, who was born in Norway but competed for the United States. He competed in 1924 but didn’t get his bronze medal until 50 years later when he was 86 years old.

  • Debra Thomas became the first black athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics at the 1988 Games in Calgary.

  • More than 24 million people in the U.K. tuned in to watch the famous Bolero figure skating routine by British pairs skaters, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1984.

  • The Olympic Winter Games have never been hosted in the southern hemisphere.

  • The youngest female snowboarding gold medalist is the United States' Chloe Kim in Pyeongchang in 2018 at age 17.

  • Olympic hockey pucks are made of vulcanized rubber and must be frozen to reduce friction before each game.

  • The world’s first bobsleigh club was founded in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1897.

  • The word “ski” is a Norwegian word that comes from the Old Norse word “skid”, a split length of wood.

  • The word “hockey” comes from the old French word “hocquet” meaning stick.

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