Evie Leibfurth's ticket has a hole in it, and she did it at Montgomery Whitewater.
More than nine months after helping the park open in July 2023, Leibphals earned the right to participate Sunday in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics. did. Leibfert, 20, shined in the fast-flowing water near downtown Montgomery, posting the best times for a woman in both the kayak slalom (106.47) and canoe slalom (114.14). did.
Live fart's best time was recorded on the second and final day of the event, Sunday.
“I think I did a really good job,” Leibfert told the Montgomery Advertiser before taking the podium. “I was really happy with my run and I was able to improve on most of my runs. … I was really happy to be able to improve on that. I just felt really confident out there.”
Leibfert is one of about 70 athletes competing and already has experience on the biggest stage. She represented the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has been competing internationally since 2019, with some of her notable appearances being the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru and the 2021 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. There are championships, etc.
Leibfirth, a family friend of former Montgomery Whitewater paddler Scott Shipley, is scheduled to return to the Olympics for the second race, this time with more experience.
“I learned so much from last time,” Leibfurth said. “…head games are everything. I've been working with a sports psychic for the past three years and it's been really helpful to me. I've got more experience under my belt I more than doubled that amount.''I had more experience racing at the senior level than the last Olympics.
“Learning how to race is very helpful. It's not just how strong you are or how healthy you are. It's how well you can handle the race. I feel like I've really improved in that regard. , I feel like I've improved a lot.''I feel like I've gotten stronger and my technique has gotten a lot better, so I'm just looking to enjoy the experience now. ”
Leibfert remembers watching the legends of the sport who came before her. Although Jessica Fox is only nine years older than her, Ms. Leibfirth had Olympic dreams when she was eight years old. I remembered that we met.
“She was the one,” Leibfurth said of Fox. “She was my role model. She was exactly who I wanted to be. I think it's really great to be inspired by her and carve my own path, but still, for me… It's unique.”
With Leibfart's ascension and Fox's continued success, the two have shared the podium together before. The two will have the opportunity to do so again this summer in Paris. “We're friends now, which is kind of crazy,” Leibfurth said. “Sometimes I become friends with some of my childhood idols. I meet them often.”
“It's so unbelievable to me, because I remember when I was a little girl watching kayaking and dreaming of going to the Olympics one day,” she said of herself becoming a role model for the next generation. I talked about it. “I think it's really great for other girls to have the chance to be like that. … I feel like a lot of people think of being an Olympian as something that fits into a box. Having the perfect diet and perfect health routine and all that.
“I feel like it's more of an issue of imperfection, of not doing everything perfectly, but still being motivated and willing to do your best. As a young girl, , I think it really helped to have role models who taught me things like, “It's okay to not be perfect, it's okay to fail, it's okay to be scared out there, and that too. I said it because it's part of everything. ”
Richard Silva is a sports reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or via X (formerly on Twitter @rich_silva18).
