After winning silver medal at Tokyo Olympics, what’s next for Clovis sprinter Jenna Prandini?

An Olympic medal goes in the carry-on, not the suitcase. So, just how difficult is it to get through airport security with one before boarding an international flight?

Jenna Prandini, the Clovis sprinter who, along with Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, and Gabby Thomas, won a Silver Medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics, got a kick out of the question.

“They did check my bag. They did open it up,” said Prandini, the two-time Olympic sprinter from Clovis. “But they looked at it and thought it looked pretty cool …

“The ultimate goal is coming back from the Olympics with a medal in your hand, so to be able to come back and have a Silver Medal with me, it’s really incredible.”

Prandini, who is back at her home training base in Austin, Texas, said by phone on Tuesday that she intends to make a run at another one or two medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024. One benefit of the Tokyo Games being pushed back by a year by the coronavirus pandemic is that the next Summer Games are three years from now, not four, and in between, there are World Championship meets in 2022 and ’23.

The first of them, next year, is at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, where Prandini was an All-American. Two months ago, at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Prandini set personal bests in the first-round, the semifinals, and the finals in the 200 meters, her favored event.

The 28-year-old sprinter is set to race next weekend at the Prefontaine Classic, also at Hayward Field. After that, Prandini will look at some other races. But she said that she would take a few weeks off to rest up at some point, which will include some time at home in Clovis.

A trip home to Clovis

It has been a while since she has seen her family in person. They have not had a chance to see the medal yet. After the race, it was all phone and video calls.

“I called my family for a short time to just say, ‘Hi,’ and check in with them,” Prandini said. “I knew they were just as happy as I was, if not more. I just wanted to see my parent’s faces, see my siblings and my cousins, my nieces, and nephews and share that moment with them.

“Thank goodness for FaceTime and having the technology that we have because they weren’t there with me physically, but I was still able to get on the phone and actually see them and see their faces.”

During the last relay race in Toyko, the U.S. team was in close with Switzerland and Great Britain when Prandini, running the third leg, got the baton.

Jamaica, which won the event in 41.02 seconds, had a clear lead. But Prandini ran a strong turn and got the baton to Thomas with the U.S. team in a clear second. They finished in 41.45 seconds, the third-fastest time by an American women’s 4 x 100 relay team in history.

“I think overall, the three other girls on the team, we all had really good chemistry,” Prandini said. “We were confident that we could stick around, and we all knew that everyone on the team is really talented, so it was just a matter of executing it. To go out there and run the third-fastest time ever by an American team is really cool.”

Making a run at Paris Olympics in 2024

“It was just awesome. After you cross the finish line and the results get flashed on the board, you go and get the flag from the coaches of the team. To get that American flag and drape it around my shoulders and have my teammates with me was really fun, just overall a really cool experience.”

But she is far from done.

Prandini, who made the U.S. Olympic Team in the 100 and the 200 meters but stalled out in the semifinals in both races in Tokyo before running in the relay, could get stronger.

“Paris is definitely in my sights – 100% I will be training until then,” she said. “It makes it a little easier to wrap your head around – it’s three years. That’s why it’s important to make sure I stay healthy and make sure I take care of my body because it’s going to be a long three years with all the championships back-to-back-to-back.”

This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.