Jackson State University athlete Mya Grimes is known for her strength and resilience as a standout in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. But nothing could have prepared the 20-year-old HBCU track star for the life-threatening ordeal she faced when an EF3 tornado tore through St. Louis last Friday.
Grimes, a rising senior, was driving home when powerful winds suddenly engulfed her car. “My dad called and told me to just get home. I was trying,” she said in a harrowing interview with KMOV-TV. As the storm intensified, her vehicle was tossed violently, spinning out of control before the windshield shattered. Grimes was ejected from the car, tumbling nearly 40 yards before landing near the intersection of Union and Washington.
Bloodied and disoriented, she crawled through the debris until she found a metal pole to cling to for safety. “I was just trying to make it,” she said. Miraculously, an ambulance spotted her moments later and rushed her to the hospital. She escaped with cuts and burns, but no broken bones.
Her mother, who had been on the phone when the storm struck, described the moment as terrifying. “It’s nothing short of a miracle,” she said. The family is now sharing Mya’s story as a testament to God’s grace and St. Louis’s resilience.
Grimes’s courage and survival reflect the determination she brings to the track — a true embodiment of strength both on and off the field. Her story is a powerful reminder of faith, perseverance, and the enduring spirit of HBCU student-athletes at Jackson State University.
