USC alum Hastings in running for gold medal on Monday

RIO DE JANEIRO University of South Carolina alum Natasha Hastings will run for an Olympic gold medal on Monday, as she finished third overall in the women’s 400-meters Sunday night with a season-best time of 49.90.

It will be the Gamecock great’s first opportunity at winning an individual medal, she previously won gold in 2008 with the 4x400m relay.

Running in the second heat, the 30-year-old Hastings had her trademark strong start and carried a large lead through the first 300 meters. Despite pulling up her stride in the final meters before the line, she recorded a time of 49.90 that was the third fastest out of the 24 semifinalists. That time came just six thousandths of a second off matching her personal best of 49.84, set back in 2007.

The women’s 400-meters final will run on Monday at 9:45 p.m. Coverage will be on NBC, as well as NBCOlympics.com.

Though plenty of amazing women have run for the U.S. over the years, when Hastings looks for inspiration, she has plenty of choices. Hers happens to be a tennis player.

“Serena Williams is my sports female hero,” Hastings said. “I’ve watched her and her sister play tennis since they were 12 or 13 and just change the game. What they’ve done for women’s sports, to me, is just amazing.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 12:17 AM.