U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Teams Visit White House to Recognize Paris Accomplishments; Torri Huske Delivers Speech
Members of this year’s delegation that represented the United States at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer visited the White House Monday as President Joe Biden recognized their accomplishments. The American team finished with 126 total medals, 35 ahead of the next closest country, while the 40 gold medals matched China for most overall.
Swimming contributed to eight of the gold medals and 28 total medals, and one of the most successful American swimmers in Paris took part in the official proceedings: Torri Huske, the gold medalist in the 100 fly and a five-time medalist in Paris, was one of a handful of athletes to give a brief address to the assembled crowd prior to Biden. Huske spoke prior to a pair of Paralympic wheelchair basketball players, Adrina Castro and Paul Schulte, and the President took the mic to conclude the lineup of speakers.
In her address, Huske expressed the pride she felt in representing her country on the grandest stage of sports and for being part of such a successful team. “Beyond the medals, so many personal bests were achieved, and iconic performances will be etched in our history,” she said. “There’s a reason we are known as the best country in the world; we not only have the hardware to back that up, but each of us has a story of how we fought to get here. As amazing as this is, the Olympics and Paralympics are so much more than each of our individual accomplishments.”