Shot putter Michelle Carter becomes second Olympic medalist from Red Oak, second in her family

Michelle Carter has watched videos of her father, Michael, winning the silver medal in the 1984 Olympics. She judged him, but not for his throwing technique in the shot put ring.

“I make fun of my dad with the little shorts that he had on,” she said Saturday during her victory tour.

Carter, 30, joined her dad as an Olympic shot put medalist Friday, the first father-daughter combination from Team USA. She one-upped her dad, though, by bringing home the gold medal.

It took an American record 67-81/4 (20.63) on her last throw to beat two-time defending Olympic champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand.

“After I threw, I was just kind of sitting there, waiting to see what was going to happen next, to see if Valerie had a chance to come back and claim the title,” said Carter, a University of Texas product. “When I realized that I actually won, I was sitting there thinking, ‘Did that just happen? Oh, my goodness. No, I think it just happened.’ From there, I’ve been moving.

“It all hasn’t quite sunk in just yet, but I think once I get to the medal ceremony [Saturday night], and I’m on the podium, and I’m able to hear that national anthem, I think it’s all going to hit me at that moment.”

Carter revealed Saturday that earlier this year, after the indoor world championships, she slightly herniated a disc in her back. Two years ago, it was a torn labrum in her right hip, and last year, a dislocated left shoulder.

“Going into rehab four days a week, doing to treatment four or five days a week and staying on top of that was very important to me to take care of my body and do those things that were necessary to get me here,” Carter said. “I feel like I’ve trained so hard I couldn’t give up on myself then, but I knew if I just trusted the process and believed what I believed was mine, that I would come out and do the best and be great at whatever I was going to do here. I just stuck to the plan.”

Carter becomes the second gold medalist from Red Oak, which has a population of 11,245. Louise Ritter won the 1988 Olympic gold medal in the high jump.

“Just knowing that my hometown of Red Oak, Texas, has two gold medalists is amazing, because not too many towns get that, especially as one as small as Red Oak,” Carter said. “I’m glad that I get to be on that same list with her, because she was an amazing athlete, and to be able to match what she has done is awesome.”

Carter trains under her father in Ovilla. Michael led SMU to the 1983 NCAA title in track and field before taking the silver in Los Angeles. He won three Super Bowls and was a three-time Pro Bowler as a defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers.

“My dad never wanted to push what he did on us,” Michelle said. “But if you chose to do this, ‘we’re going to do it, and we’re going to do it right.’ He taught me from the very beginning, ‘Hey, I know how to do this. I’m going to teach you how to do it, because I want you to be good at it. …I accepted my dad did what he did. I didn’t want to be like, ‘You know what? That’s my dad.’ I wanted to be my own person, because if I wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here or have what I have. I just accepted, ‘This is my dad.’ If they’re going to talk about me, they’re going to talk about him. I didn’t want that to be a comparison. I wanted it to be an added situation.

“It’s like we already have a place in history. I’m just adding to what’s already there.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Shot putter Michelle Carter becomes second Olympic medalist from Red Oak, second in her family."