NEW YORK CITY – KPRC 2′s Keith Garvin and Daniella Guzman are getting whiplash at the Team USA Media Summit... but in a good way.
They are among more than 500 journalists in a rotation to interview athletes who have either already qualified to compete at the 2024 Paris Games or are expected to qualify.
On Tuesday, which was day 2 of the summit, Keith and Daniella were able to speak with 3 athletes.
FIRST INTERVIEW OF DAY 2
Maggie Steffens, U.S. women’s water polo sharp shooter, was first on their schedule.
Steffens is from Danville, California. She already has 3 Olympic gold medals, numerous goal-scoring records, as well as multiple “World Player of the Year” awards.
So what drives her to keep showing up to train at 5 o’clock in the morning for rigorous training sessions? The love of the sport and her teammates.
Daniella asked Maggie, “How does it feel going into Paris?” Maggie said, “It’s just as excited feeling anticipation 100 days out. I’m really excited grateful to share it with new group of women and show them what we can do.”
SECOND INTERVIEW OF DAY 2
For their second interview of the day, Daniella and Keith spoke with a Texan.
Weightlifting star Jourdan Delacruz, 25, is from Wylie.
She is fighting for her second chance at a gold medal at the Paris Olympics after failing to medal in the Tokyo games.
“Obviously it wasn’t my favorite thing and it was really hard to overcome but it was that driving force that got me through these really hard times going into the Paris qualifiers. And now that I’m focusing on the Paris Olympics and that actual competition, I discovered what is really important to me is getting that full Olympic experience,” Jourdan said.
THIRD INTERVIEW OF DAY 2
A track & field standout was their third interview of the day.
Sprinter Gabby Thomas from Northampton, Massachusetts emerged from Tokyo as a star, winning a silver and a bronze.
But she wants gold in Paris... for herself and other women in her sport.
“I love being in the conversation. I love being the mix. I think that we are in such a special time in women’s sports, specifically women in track and sprinting. We’re doing really special things and I think we’re all kind of pushing each other to be better versions of ourselves, better athletes,” Thomas told Keith.
During the interview, Keith could not help himself from bringing up the Lone Star State. “After Tokyo, you spent some time in Texas at the University of Texas getting your master’s degree. You spent only a few years there, but Texans already claim you. What are your best memories about the time you spent in Texas and in Austin?”
“Austin has, it’s been amazing to me. I really started my track career, my pro track career, in Austin, Texas. I’m still there and running because it’s been incredible. I’ve been surrounded by an amazing community and support system. My teammates there are incredible. My coach is incredible.”
HEADING INTO DAY 3
Keith and Daniella will be doing more interviews on Wednesday, which marks 100 days out from the 2024 Paris Games.
Watch that exciting coverage all day on KPRC 2, KPRC 2+ and Click2Houston.com.