She’s got a heart of gold!
Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock plans to use her winnings to buy her mother a food truck, The Root reports.
A few weeks ago, Mensah-Stock made history as the first Black American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. The No.1 seed defeated Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu in the final round, proving to everyone why she’s the best. Now, she’s taking her tax-free $37,500 in prize money to help make her mother’s dream come true by buying her a food truck.
“She’s always doing back-breaking work. I’ve just seen her struggling ever since my dad died, and I don’t like seeing it,” Mensah-Stock told reporters of the motivation behind her plan.
The 28-year-old lost her father, Prince Mensah, in a car accident in high school. He fell asleep while driving home from a wrestling match, which almost caused her to stop wrestling. A huge supporter of her athletic career, Mensah-Stock said that if he could’ve seen her at the Olympics, her dad would’ve been delighted.
“He would have been the loudest one here. He would have been so proud,” she said.
Since her father’s passing, her mother has made due, continuing to support her daughter in her career and her life. Mensah-Stock said she vowed to take care of her mom whenever she got the chance.
“I made a promise to her, and she loves cooking. It’s just one of her passions. Growing up, we’d be like, ‘Ooh, mommy; you put your back into this food. Like you literally put your foot in it,” she recalled.
Five years ago, Mensah-Stock said she asked her mother if she would be happy with a food truck to work from anywhere in the world. Her mother said it would make her happy, and she’s been working towards that goal ever since.
In the meantime, her mother has been cooking on a portable grill that Mensah-Stock says isn’t the best legal method for fulfilling her food truck dreams. Now, she plans to cash in on her promise, purchasing the truck, already dubbed “The Lady Bug.” Now her mother will finally be able to live out her dreams fully.
“It is going to be pleasant. It’s going to be legal. It’s going to be fun,” said Mensah-Stock.
Congratulations, Tamyra. Taking care of our community is so important.
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images