There are a lot more people now who know about Brandeé Johnson of Suffolk.

The Nansemond River High School junior track star earned a trip to Nanjing, China, to represent the U.S. in the Second Summer Youth Olympic Games, and she came back with a souvenir.

Johnson finished the women’s 200-meter dash in 24.28 seconds to capture the bronze medal.

“I felt amazing,” she said. “It was good to come out to the Olympic stage and to perform like I did and be able to get on the podium.”

Nansemond River coach Justin Byron said he does not get excited too often, but he was in this case.

“It was an international race for a 16-year-old on foreign soil, and that’s an experience that most kids don’t get, and to go over there and get third is exciting,” he said.

Johnson’s mother, Aquilla Redding, said watching video of her daughter competing in China “brought tears to my eyes, because I know her dream is for Rio 2016, so this just a stepping stone for her.”

To reach the Aug. 24 final for the 200, Johnson first had to qualify in the preliminary heat on Aug. 22. She described the thoughts going through her head this first time she took to the Youth Olympic track to compete.

“I was just trying to block out the big stage, because the stadium was packed, and I was trying not to think of everything that was there,” she said.

Johnson was able to communicate with her coach back in the States via an application on their phones.

“Our longest conversation was right after that first race,” he said. He watched the video, and they broke down how to improve on her 24.41-second time.

She said she was more focused on specific things she needed to do in the finals, and a pre-race talk with Olympic gold medalist long jumper Dwight Phillips helped reduce her level of nervousness.

She was one of the youngest runners in the competition, and she entered both the Youth Olympics and the 200 final seeded fourth.

“She had to fight for that one spot,” Byron said.

The 24.28-second time was actually the fifth-fastest finish of her life. Byron said if they had known the year before that she would qualify and be approved by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the Youth Olympics, her training plan would have been drastically different and geared to helping her peak now.

But putting her accomplishment in perspective, he said, “With a meet of that magnitude, the key is the medal. The time is not as important.”

The medal presentation brought another incredible experience for Johnson and those cheering her on.

“As I was walking down, I was still kind of shocked,” Johnson said. She was excited to see the U.S. flag being raised during the ceremony.

“It was breathtaking,” Redding said. “It was kind of a little overwhelming, because that’s our baby up there, and the hard work that she’s putting in is actually showing.”

Johnson enjoyed the opportunities to meet the competitors from different countries, both through organized team-building exercises and through competing in the 8×100-meter mixed team relay.

The relay, which she said was more for fun than actual competition, featured international eight-member teams with members from different disciplines including the shot put, long jump and the javelin throw. Each ran 100 meters, and Johnson said her team placed 20th out of 62 teams.