Jasmine Camacho-Quinn knows what it’s like to be first. She also knows what it’s like to fall short of your goals, pick yourself back up, try again, and succeed. Back in 2016, she made it to the semifinals at her Olympics event before she hit a hurdle and was disqualified. 2021, however, would be a different story.
During this summer’s Olympics Camacho-Quinn became the first Afro-Latina and the only second Puerto Rican to win a gold medal, after finishing first in the 100-meter hurdles. And now the athlete is celebrating not just that win, but all that she is with a new partnership with Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky.
The Olympian also discussed the campaign, launched in honor of Our Heritage Month, and titled “What Glory We Are,” in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s The Spun.
“The ‘What Glory We Are’ campaign is about celebrating 200-percenters, 100 percent Hispanic and 100 percent American,” she shared. “For me, growing up, I came from two different backgrounds.” Camacho-Quinn, who was born to a Black father from South Carolina, where she was raised, and a Puerto Rican mother, continued. “I got to experience my mom’s side, which was Puerto Rican. The language wasn’t No. 1 for us because it was hard for it to happen if we weren’t around. The food that we ate, though, we’ve definitely kept that in our lives. Music has been a big part of our lives as well. My mother always made sure we kept the music close to us.”
Her upbringing shaped her, and if Camacho-Quinn is sure of one thing, it’s that she’s proud of who she is. And that’s something worth celebrating.
