An old photo of hammer thrower Gwen Berry smiling with the U.S. flag has gone viral after she courted controversy on Sunday by turning her back on the Stars and Stripes during Olympic trials.
Berry, 31, is seen in the undated photo - posted to her website in June 2015 - beaming as she holds aloft the flag.
Critics pounced on the image, claiming it showed Berry was a fraud who only staged her protest on Sunday to raise her profile.
A photo of Gwen Berry posing with the U.S. flag - posted to her website in June 2015 - has gone viral, after Berry staged a protest on Sunday and insisted the national anthem did not represent her
Toward the end of the anthem, Berry plucked up her black T-shirt with the words 'Activist Athlete' emblazoned on the front, and draped it over her head
Gwen Berry raises her Activist Athlete T-Shirt over her head during the metal ceremony after the finals of the women's hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials
'Totally not all an act!' tweeted Donald Trump Jr.
'She was definitely not protesting to get attention for herself and/or maybe some of those woke Nike sponsorship dollars. 100% legit and not at all a cottage industry victimization scheme we see so much of these days.'
Brigitte Gabriel, founder of security organization ACT America, agreed, commenting: 'This image is directly from Gwen Berry's website. It looks like her entire 'Activist Athlete' bit is an act!'
And Katrina Pierson, former spokesman for Donald Trump, tweeted: 'Oops!'
Berry's website has since been taken down.
Berry sparked anger with her actions on Sunday, and has spent the week battling her critics online.
The Ferguson, Missouri-born athlete was on the podium at the trials in Oregon on Saturday when the anthem started playing. Her white competitors, DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen, turned to face the flag and placed their hands on their hearts but Berry, a vocal BLM activist, turned to face the stands, put her hands on her hips and then held up a t-shirt bearing the words 'athlete activist'.
Visitors to Berry's website are now greeted with this error message
In interviews later, she said she felt like officials only played the anthem to 'set her up' and that she had been told it would be played before she walked on to the podium, not while she was there.
She also said she didn't want to be standing for pictures for long because it was hot.
The trial organizers insisted this wasn't the case and that the anthem played every day at the same time.
On Monday, Berry was criticized by conservatives like Senator Ted Cruz who said her protest was disrespectful, and who claimed she hated her country.
Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, said she ought to be removed from the Olympics.
'The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America. It's the entire point. It's one thing when these NBA players do it, OK we'll just stop watching. But now the Olympics Team?' he said in an interview with Fox.
Berry responded on Instagram: 'I said what I said... I meant what I said.. STOP PLAYING WITH ME!! PERIOD!'
On Twitter, she said: 'I never said I hated this country! People try to put words in my mouth but they can't. That's why I speak out. I LOVE MY PEOPLE.
'These comments really show that: 1.) people in American rally patriotism over basic morality. 2.) Even after the murder of George Floyd and so many others; the commercials, statements, and phony sentiments regarding black lives were just a hoax.'
On Tuesday, Berry told the Black News Channel why she protested.
'I never said that I didn't want to go to the Olympic Games, that's why I competed and got third and made the team,' Berry said.
'I never said that I hated the country. I never said that. All I said was I respect my people enough to not stand for or acknowledge something that disrespects them. I love my people. Point blank, period.'
Berry claimed she specifically has an issue with a line in The Star-Spangled Banner, which she says alludes to catching and beating slaves.
Berry said: 'If you know your history, you know the full song of the national anthem, the third paragraph speaks to slaves in America, our blood being slain...all over the floor.
'It's disrespectful and it does not speak for Black Americans. It's obvious. There's no question.'
Berry lashed out at Fox News and Dan Crenshaw, saying they were 'obsessed' with her
Berry also defended her protest in a series of tweets and Instagram posts, saying 'I meant what I said!'
Berry previously protested during competition against racism, most recently raising a fist at the trials on Thursday, and said that she felt insulted by the Star-Spangled
