Annette Echikunwoke showed up to the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, ready to compete.

The Pickerington, Ohio, native was set to represent her parents’ home country of Nigeria. Making her Olympic debut, Echikunwoke prepared to compete for gold in the women’s hammer.

But as she celebrated her 25th birthday and settled in at the Olympic Village, Echikunwoke learned that administrative errors by the Nigerian Federation led to missed doping tests. As a result, many Nigerian athletes were disqualified. Echikunwoke was one of them.

No one had tested positive for any banned substances, but the missed tests barred Echikunwoke and her teammates from competing.

“It was really a shock at the time and disbelief,” Echikunwoke said. “I was sad and honestly depressed after the fact, but I knew that I had to get back up and keep going and going with the U.S. team.”

Echikunwoke then made the shift to compete for Team USA — and nearly three years from the day of that devastation in Tokyo, she became the United States' first-ever Olympic medalist in women’s hammer. With a top throw of 75.48 meters, she claimed the Paris Olympic silver medal, joining Canada’s Camryn Rogers and China’s Zhao Jie on the podium.

“I'm so grateful,” Echikunwoke said. “It's crazy to be the first woman to medal in women's hammer [for the U.S.]. It's crazy, especially with all the greats that have kind of come before me.”

Joining Team USA, sticking with her craft — it all paid off. 

“It’s been the best decision,” she said. "It's really a vindication. I wanted the experience. And I am so glad to be here in Paris and come away with a medal.”

Not only did Echikunwoke finally get her Olympic experience, but now she stands alone in the U.S. record books as a women's hammer medalist. And she's forming an important piece of a global shift in the sport: Tuesday's medal podium of Canada, the U.S. and China also represented the first in Olympic women's hammer history without Europeans.

"[Hammer] is not just a game for the Europeans," Echikunwoke said. "It's also for North America. So, I think we're aspiring North American girls to really be on top here."