Current.org - For People in Public Media / Published at American University School of Communication

Claressa Shields, the 17-year-old who yesterday slugged her way to the first ever middleweight gold medal in Olympic women’s boxing, participated in two prominent public media projects, one of which recently began airing on public radio stations through Public Radio Exchange (PRX) distribution.

Shields, who hails from Flint, Mich., was the principal subject  in  “Go For It: Life Lessons From Girl Boxers,”  a radio special produced by New York’s WNYC.  Hosted by actor Rosie Perez and producer Marianne McCune, the radio documentary follows Shields and other women fighters as they train to qualify for the Olympics. Producers are updating the program to include material about her Olympic victory.

Shields is the sole focus of the Kickstarter film documentary project, “T-REX,” which surpassed its $52,500 funding goal six days ago. Producers raised $64,507  from 652 backers at time of publication.

Sue Jaye Johnson – one of the producers behind “T-REX” – has worked with WYNC, the NY Times Magazine, and NPR to follow Shields’ path and chronicle the debut of women’s boxing onto the Olympic stage this year in London.