Long Beach Poly Star Closes U.S.A. Olympic Games

Bryshon Nellum’s story is one the best in this year’s Olympic games, and it only got better Saturday when it was announced that he would be the U.S.A. flag bearer for the closing ceremonies Sunday. 

The track star from Long Beach Poly accomplished a lot more at the 2012 Olympic games in London than just his 4x400-meter relay silver medal. His accomplishments are the culmination of the past four years of his rise to the sport’s biggest stage. 

Nellum, at Poly, was a highly-touted two-sport athlete in both track and football. He brought his talents to USC where he began to lead a promising track career. In 2008, at a Halloween Party his sophomore year, Nellum was shot three times in his legs.

Police attributed the crimes as a case of mistaken identity in a gang-related shooting.

Nellum underwent three surgeries just to ensure he could even walk again. Doctors informed Nellum that he would never reach the world class speed he once touted before on the track. After three-years of rehabilitation, however, Nellum proved them wrong and qualified to represent one the world’s top track countries in the biggest event of his life.  

His leg of the U.S.A. team’s silver medal performance may not have been as exciting as Phelp’s twenty-second medal or the incredible 4x100-meter relay Jamaica put on, but the Long Beach star’s incredible journey is certainly one of the most inspirational.

Nellum's Twitter: http://twitter.com/BNELLUM1