Arizona State is represented by multiple athletes competing in the Paris Olympics. Among them is Delaney Schnell, who is aiming for her second consecutive Olympic medal.
TUCSON, Ariz. — In less than 100 days, more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries will gather in Paris to compete in the Olympic Games.
Representing your country is the greatest honor, and Tucson native and former University of Arizona Wildcat Delaney Schnell is one of the few athletes to compete in the Olympics. Two degrees!
Here's what you need to know about the 2024 Olympics
“It's been a complete whirlwind,” Schnell said. “It's so hard to explain this feeling. I don't even remember standing on the podium, it went by in a blur, so I wish I could relive that moment. This time, I just want to You're just trying to go back in time and probably just trying to do the same thing.'' Same thing. “
Schnell previously competed in the women's diving competition to be held in Tokyo in 2021, and is busy training until the competition begins in late July.
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Schnell competed in tandem with partner Jessica Palat after his previous partner was injured three weeks before the trial. Palat's involvement was a last-minute decision, but it wasn't enough to distract the diving pair, who proudly took to the podium wearing silver dresses over their suits.
“We would like to qualify for the women's 10m individual and women's 10m synchro. We have just qualified for the Olympics, so it would be great to be able to debut that synchro again on the world stage together. I was excited,” she said.
But her path to success wasn't in her plans from early on. In fact, Schnell was a gymnast until she was nine years old, but she then decided she wanted to pivot in a new direction and eventually she progressed to the diving board.
“My coach came to me and asked me if I wanted to go to the Olympics,” Schnell said. “Is that what I want to do? I thought, yeah, that's what I want to shoot. So it became a reality when I started traveling abroad at a young age.”
But Schnell was first horrified when he saw the 10-meter-high diving board.
“Actually, at first I was like, 'No, I can't do that, it's too scary,'” Schnell said. “For the first few weeks after I started diving, I couldn't even jump from 10 meters because I was jumping off a 5-metre platform in between. I felt like I wasn't there.'' That's also really funny because that's the event that I became really good at. ”
It was really, really good. Schnell will compete again in the 10-meter synchro event, the same event in which she won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
It is a sport that requires great attention to detail. Schnell said this is the most important part of being successful and requires dozens of hours of training per week.
“As much as the timing of coming out, you have to try to spot the spot and react at the right time,” Schnell said. “Also, remember to not let all these details get out of hand too soon.”
Schnell hopes the details will lead to another Olympic medal, this time a gold medal. But it will give you a new perspective and less pressure than when you first represented the United States.
“It's nice to go into the next Olympic cycle and not feel the pressure of having to get through one more Olympics,” Schnell said. “My mindset is this time I'm just going to have fun and see what happens. 'What happens, what happens.'
More than a dozen athletes from Arizona are scheduled to compete in the games, and while it's unclear whether Schnell will make it to the podium again, she said she'll remember to embrace every moment and each dive along the way. Ta.
“It's an incredible feeling to feel the adrenaline and hear the crowd and be with the crowd. It's exhilarating,” Schnell said. “Every diver strives for that moment in the pool, and when you make a successful dive, the crowd goes wild.”
For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, the ceremony will be held outside the stadium. It will be held on the banks of the Seine River, which flows through the center of Paris.
This year will be the sixth time the Olympics will be held in this country. It's been 100 years since the nation's capital last hosted one.
The opening ceremony will be held at sunset on July 26th.
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