A dream realized in Rio for local Brooklyn teacher
BFS’ Vongvorachoti first-ever Thai woman to complete Olympic marathon
Don’t always be dazzled by the gold, or distracted by the controversy.
The recently completed Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil featured plenty of both.
Whether it was Usain Bolt reaffirming himself as the fastest man in the world, Michael Phelps resuming his reign as the greatest swimmer in history, fears of the Zika virus and rampant crime surrounding the Olympic Village, or Ryan Lochte causing an international incident with his penchant for embellishment.
But the Summer Games also provided an opportunity of a lifetime for one local runner, who quietly but boldly carved out her own bit of history through the streets of Rio the Sunday before last.
Jane Vongvorachoti, on hiatus from her stint as a physical education instructor at Pearl Street’s Brooklyn Friends School, ran the women’s Olympic Marathon in two hours, 47 minutes and 27 seconds, becoming the first-ever runner from her parents’ native land to complete the grueling course.