KINGSTON, R.I. – For the rest of her life, Tayra Melendez will be known as an Olympian.

Long a pioneer in the basketball arena for her native country of Puerto Rico, the former Rhode Island women's basketball star recently returned from the Tokyo Games. She and her teammates were the first women ever to represent Puerto Rico in the Olympics.

"When you enter the Olympic Village for the first time, the reality of the moment slaps you. It is simply breathtaking," Melendez said. "When you hear that national anthem play, it is a feeling that is hard to put into words. To represent Puerto Rico on that stage, it was an emotion unlike anything before. The cameras caught me a bit teary-eyed at one point, but it is overwhelming when you think about your family and friends who have supported you. When you think about being there to represent the entire country, the magnitude of it all hits you."

For Melendez, it has been a long journey. She first joined the national team program for Puerto Rico in 2010, two years before she even set foot on Rhode Island's campus. She was one of four U.S. women to make Puerto Rico's 2010

FIBA Americas Under-18 team, starting a decade-long career representing the country.

From 2012-16, she played at Rhode Island, becoming just the second player in program history to score 1,000 points and block 150 shots. She was a team captain and four-year starter for the Rams, while also representing Puerto Rico throughout her collegiate career.

Melendez started in all three games for her team in Tokyo. Despite losses to China, Belgium and Australia, the experience was vital for Puerto Rico, which made a significant jump in the international game, as only the 12 best countries in the world qualify for the Olympics.

"Everyone there understands the significance of the experience, and you feel it in competition," Melendez said. "Teams bring the best 12 they have, or what we like to call the big dogs. Everyone's mentality is different. Every game magnified. The rules, the ball and the hoops are still the same, but there is more intensity. The games mean a lot more. All the sweat and broken bones, this is what it was for. It all just means something more, because it's not about you. It's about representing something bigger."

For Puerto Rico as a program, it was a gauge to show the country where it stands on the world stage. The national program will take notes and improve from the experience.

But the players also made sure to soak the experience in.

"Honestly, it was surreal," Melendez said. "Being an Olympian is something you dream of accomplishing, but it's not something I thought would happen. It was an awesome, breathtaking experience. Japan itself was beautiful. I can't express enough my gratitude for the game of basketball and the opportunities it has afforded me."

Melendez and her teammates qualified for the Tokyo Games by defeating Brazil at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in France. Puerto Rico rallied late to force overtime, then won the game, 91-89, to secure its place in history for the country.

Melendez had sprained her ankle less than two weeks before the game against Brazil. Knowing she was not 100 percent, she talked with her coaches about which game in Australia was most important for her be ready for.
 
"With Brazil, we had beat them in Argentina, and they beat us in Puerto Rico," Melendez said. "When we went to France, we knew we were facing Brazil, France and Australia. Typically, we play our best game in our first game, which was Brazil. Understanding the goal and getting the win in the opener, I told the coaches, 'Okay, I'll give you everything I've got.' Because of my ankle, I only had two days of practice before the game, but those are the moments you work for all your life."

Melendez started and played 23 minutes before fouling out. She provided five assists, three rebounds and a block to go with two points.

"It was an adrenaline rush the entire game," Melendez said. "The last five minutes were unlike anything before. When you first qualify and you understand you are going to the Olympics, it's huge. That feeling is what you love about the game."
 

The national team has given the country of Puerto Rico plenty to be proud of over the last couple years. Puerto Rico won a silver medal at the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup. There, Melendez helped the team go 5-2 with wins over Venezuela, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Canada. The win over Canada was the first ever for Puerto Rico.

The team's only two losses came against the United States, which was the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo.

"The performance at AmeriCup meant a lot because it was a major part of our preparation for our run up to Olympic qualifying," Melendez said. "It was our first time playing in Puerto Rico in front of the fans there, which was awesome. For the country to see the progress we are making is always important. Now we dominate our region, which wasn't the case before. We are giving our country the results any country wants to see, giving people a reason to believe. They know if they invest, it goes a lot further for the goes a whole further for the program."

For now, Melendez will take a few weeks to rest and recover before returning to training in Puerto Rico with the national team. There will be international competitions over the winter leading into the World Championships, which are being held in Australia in the summer of 2022.

"We are all looking forward to qualifying for Australia," Melendez said. "Everything we have experienced and earned over the last couple years will only help give us that push mentally and emotionally to keep going."