Team USA Rookies Share Experiences, Provide Inside Look At Olympic Games in Tokyo
The Closing Ceremony marked the end of the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Team USA is back on American soil. USA Swimming athletes brought home 30 medals: 11 gold, 10 silver, and 9 bronze. Many of the team’s rookies earned some of that hardware. All of them earned the experience of a lifetime, however, with so many takeaways from Tokyo.
Olympic Village Life
Social media gave fans a small glimpse of what life was like for athletes in the Olympic Village. It was their home for meals and rest. It was also their space for race preparation and post-competition decompression. It was a bustling community with a steady flow of athletes from every sport and nation going about their day.
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Paige Madden, a silver medalist from the women’s 800 freestyle relay, shared: “While I have been to the World University Games before, I have never seen anything like the Olympic Village. To your left you might see a skateboarder practicing their tricks, and to your right you see a boxer throwing some punches for fun. You might see a wrestler running, trying to cut weight, or a cyclist taking a ride around the Village. Seeing this every day really makes you appreciate the diversity of sports in the Olympics.”
Many of the athletes were enamored with cohabitating with other elite athletes.
“Walking around the Village, you’re constantly surrounded by the greatest athletes in the world,” Patrick Callan, a member of the men’s 800 freestyle relay, said. “It was an incredibly humbling and inspiring environment.”
Within the Village, each country had its own designated building. The rooms inside were set up suite style, with three bedrooms (each housing two athletes), as well as a common area. It was a shared opinion among the athletes that the cardboard beds were the worst part about the Olympic Village.
“It sort of felt like I was sleeping on a rock,” Kate Douglass, bronze medalist in the women’s 200 I.M, shared. Despite the beds, the athletes appreciated their suites because they provided a community space for the members of Team USA. The rooms became a spot where poker games were played, jokes were made, and bonds between the swimmers grew stronger.
“I got to be in a suite with all of my friends,” Douglass said, referring to rooming with Phoebe Bacon, Erica Sullivan, Emma Weyant and Alex Walsh. “We would come back from prelims at night and hang out in our common room together for hours.”
Sullivan, the silver medalist in the women’s 1500 freestyle, shared that they also reminisced about their National Junior Team days.
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“It was really nice being in a room that felt like the next generation or the up-and-comers. We were all part of the ‘On Our Watch’ era when Mitch Dalton was the National Junior Team Director. He did a really good job of building these relationships that we now have. Having the ‘On Our Watch’ American flag hanging in our room was a constant reminder of who we are, where we came from, and who we are representing.”
Representing the Red, White, and Blue
While swimming is often seen as an individual sport, racing for Team USA is about more than swimming for yourself. Hunter Armstrong, a gold medalist on the men’s 400 medley relay, elaborated on this.
“I may not have performed the way I had hoped but having my teammates behind me every step of the way was incredible,” he said. “Knowing, as I approach the wall that I have to push even harder so that I can get my brothers in the water to do their part, has always been why I enjoy swimming.”
Madden said swimming on the 800 freestyle relay gave her a feeling of pure joy.
“Getting to be alongside people that I’ve looked up to for years and years and wear the American flag on my cap was such an honor,” Madden said, reflecting on how she felt watching Katie Ledecky anchor their silver medal relay. “Sharing that moment with Katie McLaughlin and Allison Schmitt was extra special for me.”
Joy was one of many feelings the Olympic swimmers experienced throughout the weeks of training camp in Hawaii and competition in Tokyo.
“It was a really long, emotional 36 days and I never really realized how emotional it was; but by the end I started to miss home and home-cooked meals,” Sullivan said. “However, standing on that podium next to Ledecky was a moment I really cherish.”
The podium moments brought on many emotions for the athletes each time the American’s National Anthem played.
“Hearing the Star Spangled Banner play that first finals session after Chase Kalisz won the 400 I.M. made being at the Olympics feel all the more real,” Callan said.
Rhyan White, backstroker and silver medalist on the 400 medley relay, felt goosebumps watching Bobby Finke’s last 100 in the men’s 1500 freestyle. “I was finished with my own swimming and was finally able to be in the stands and cheer all out,” White shared.
Biggest Takeaways
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White’s greatest takeaway from The Games was learning to be present: “I embraced every feeling I experienced which allowed me to soak it all in.” For Sullivan, the newfound fame of becoming an Olympian came as a surprise. “I never realized how many people outside of the sport are impacted by The Games. Seeing all of the celebrities – people that I have looked up to for years – reach out to myself and the other swimmers was really awesome.” Several celebrities, including Sullivan’s longtime favorite, Camila Cabello, sent congratulatory messages to the athletes following their races.
Armstrong said the biggest thing he learned from the Games was just how much mental toughness it takes to compete at this level.
“I learned that the mental energy required to succeed at that meet is beyond what I was prepared for but is something I am looking forward to working on,” he said.
Douglass shared that she learned that in order to succeed, they had to be able to adapt to unpredictable situations. “Sometimes the buses would get backed up. Before the 200 I.M. final, Alex and I had to sit outside in the sun for 30 minutes waiting for a bus and it was pretty painful. But all of these inconveniences were experienced by everyone living in The Village, so it was all just part of the experience that we could laugh about it.”
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Lydia Jacoby, the gold medalist in the women’s 100 breaststroke and silver medalist in the 400 medley relay, summed up her biggest takeaway.
“Being a part of The Games really put into perspective how human we all are,” she said. “It was so cool getting to know everyone as people, and not just the incredible athletes that they are. I think it’s safe to say that my life is never going to be the same.”
I enjoyed the glimpse into village life & hearing the pride these elite athletes have in wearing the American flag on their caps!