Brittany Brown looks strong.
He looks confident.
He seems to be able to achieve his dreams.
That's how Brown looks in a mural in her honor at Vista del Valle Elementary — and how the 31-year-old US athlete feels in real life nearly two years after winning the bronze medal in the women's 200-meter at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But that wasn't always the way he felt decades ago when he was in Claremont school.
“I grew up very sick,” Brown told The Times last month while visiting Vista del Valle for the mural's unveiling. “I had asthma. I had pneumonia, bronchitis … I never thought I would run because I was just not the type of person who would run. I was told to stay inside, not go outside.”
US athlete Brittany Brown celebrates her bronze medal in the women's 200-meter at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Former Vista del Valle Elementary student Brittany Brown wears her Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medal at the school's district track and field competition on April 24.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Brown's family also faced housing uncertainty and financial problems at the time. They travel a lot, and sometimes Brown and his family – mother Yo-Landa, father Wayne, older sister Brandi, twin Brandon and younger brother Bryan – find themselves staying in a hotel room near the elementary school.
His mother told The Times that the school and the community provided a lot of support during those difficult times.
“I think emotionally, it hurt him,” Yo-Landa Brown said. However, he was always happy, very attentive, kind. I could see that she used to cry, but we all just tried to stay calm and gathered around her.
US athlete Brittany Brown, bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, smiles after winning a ribbon at the Vista del Valle tournament as a fourth grader in 2007.
(Brandi Brown)
A mural ceremony was held on April 24 immediately following the school's 50th annual district meeting, where Brown interacted with participants and presented them with ribbons. Vista del Valle Elementary hosts all seven elementary schools in the district each year for the meet. It was as a fourth-grade participant in the same event nearly 20 years ago that Brown discovered he loved running — and that he was very good at it.
“I remember running and feeling so relieved. It was like, 'OK, I'm not a sick kid. I can just try to do something,'” said Brown, who holds the Claremont High School record in the girls' 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. “And I was winning, so that helped too. … Running brought me opportunities I never thought I would have.”
This mural was painted by local artist Xiucoatl Mejia, who attended Claremont Unified School District schools from kindergarten (Sumner Elementary) through high school (Claremont High). He has painted many murals at district schools in recent years and was already working with first-year Vista del Valle principal Charles Boulden to start an after-school art club for students.
The two men thought it would be nice to have a mural on campus to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the state song. Realizing that one of the top athletes in the country was a Vista graduate who started at the same meet was an added motivation.
The mural shows an older Brown running around wearing a Vista uniform and carrying a torch. A large group of kids run behind him, some of those kids look like art club students.
People gather in front of a painting depicting US runner Brittany Brown before its unveiling ceremony on April 24 at Vista del Valle Elementary in Claremont.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
“It made sense to include some of the kids in the class and make it a little routine at school and make it personal for these kids,” said Mejia.
Levi Adams, a third-grader, said being featured in the painting on the school wall is “special because when you grow up you can go back and look at it.”
Second-grader Holland Ly agreed that it was “very special” to be included in the drawing that “many people” will see over the years.
Art club students also helped paint the mural.
“I had the kids do the whole track,” Mejia said. “I wanted them to do that directly, because I wanted them to understand that that is the foundation of racing in our area. … I wanted them to have that part of it, and be able to look back and see it.”
The theme of the piece was originally about victory, Mejia said, but it evolved.
“As it progressed, the theme changed to carry the torch and pave the way for a better future for our youth and our communities,” Mejia said. “It was a lot bigger than it was at first. It was a little bit more powerful than any one victory. It was a collective victory for everyone.”
Boulden thinks the mural ended up being a huge success.
US athlete Brittany Brown holds up her bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics surrounded by, from left: mother Yo-Landa Brown, twin Brandon Brown, brother Bryan Brown, grandmother Jeanette Royston and sister Brandi Brown.
(Brandi Brown)
“I couldn't be happier with the way it is — the colors, the way it stands out and what it represents to me,” said the principal. “I see perseverance there, and I see chasing dreams, and I see kids chasing someone who is chasing their dreams.”
Brown is also happy with how the first tribute painting turned out.
“I think it's really good! I'm really excited about it,” said Brown, who is currently training in Los Angeles with a long-term goal of competing for the US again in the 2028 Summer Olympics. “I love the colors. It even has my choker – I wear a choker when I run a lot. It's got little, beautiful details, so I think that was really nice.”
His mother said she thought it was “really touching” that Mejia included pictures of current Vista students in the painting.
“Yes, Brittany is an Olympian, but now she has the next generation involved,” Yo-Landa Brown said. “Their stories will live on and they will remember that. And that will give them motivation to be better and do better in their lives. I thought that was amazing. I felt so grateful that you were able to capture that.”
Wearing his Olympic medal around his neck, Brown addressed the student body at the mural ceremony and became emotional as he talked about the struggles he overcame while in school.
Olympian Brittany Brown hands out ribbons and high points to participants at the annual Vista del Valle valley track and meet April 24 in Claremont.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
“I just want them to know that you can create great things, even in a struggle,” Brown told The Times afterward. “It will be very difficult, but you can still create good things in the struggle. And I definitely created a different life. …
“I never thought that a little girl in a hotel would have a mural. I never thought, as a little girl with asthma, you know, someone who wasn't allowed outside, that this would be my story. So it's really crazy. That's what I want them to know.”
Brown's message seems to have resonated with students. Fifth-grader Kaylee Mency said Brown's story of his childhood struggles “means a lot to me because he's still going even though his life wasn't so good.”
Fifth grader Eliana Ocegueda added: “She went to this school and now she's an Olympian. It's really inspiring and makes you think you can be anything you want to be.”
