The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics will look very different to Tokyo 2020. After competing during the height of the Covid pandemic, SELF asked Team USA what they look most forward to in Paris now that restrictions are lifted and spectators will be back in the stands.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00What I'm looking most forward to in Paris
00:02is the fact that there will be an audience.
00:04♪♪
00:08In Tokyo, obviously, you know,
00:10we had COVID restrictions for safety protocols.
00:14It's almost like my first Paralympic Games all over again.
00:16I was in Tokyo, and I was 21 years old,
00:19just fresh out of college, just a little baby,
00:22didn't know anything about this world.
00:24I feel confident going into Paris
00:26knowing that I've had that experience
00:28and I understand what's to come.
00:30Obviously, I don't have the Olympic energy experience
00:35because we didn't have any fans in the stands,
00:37but I do know that it's pretty cool.
00:41I was in Europe last year for some track meets,
00:43and the fans are crazy.
00:45So that's what I expect from Paris, for sure.
00:47The big thing that I'm really looking for at the Games
00:49in Paris is having spectators at the event.
00:52In Tokyo, it was a little weird being in the middle of COVID
00:55and not having any spectators with us.
00:58The only people that were in the stands
00:59were the other teams, and that wasn't a lot of people.
01:02In Paris, I'm definitely looking forward to fans,
01:05I think, and having my family watch.
01:06I think I do a lot of it for fans,
01:08and to be able to play in front of them will be amazing.
01:10I'm really excited in Paris to leave the village
01:12and to go see the city
01:13and to see my family who's gonna be there,
01:16meet athletes in a really different way,
01:18and have a really true Olympic experience,
01:20which I feel like there was definitely
01:21big pieces missing in Tokyo.
01:23Not that they didn't do a wonderful job,
01:24but it wasn't quite, I think, that experience
01:27that we always kind of grew up hearing about.
01:29It was amazing having the fans in Rio,
01:31so I got to bring the fans back for Paris to be amazing.
01:35Just venturing out into the city
01:36and seeing some of the culture, the museums,
01:40the architecture, all of that.
01:41Yeah, just getting back to just being able
01:44to enjoy the village without being confined to your room.
01:48I'm excited to explore Paris.
01:50I wanna go on a full food tour when we're in Paris.
01:54The difference with Tokyo Olympics and Paris,
01:59definitely the spectators and the audience
02:02are gonna be there.
02:03I think that's gonna make so much difference.
02:06Tokyo was a very unique Olympic experience,
02:09which I would not change for the world.
02:11I think it was a great one being a rookie,
02:13but I am very much looking forward to the Paris Games
02:16to have all that energy from the stands,
02:18be able to watch and support other sports,
02:20get to meet more people from Team USA and other countries,
02:23and just enjoy one of my favorite cities
02:25and one of my favorite hobbies.
02:27Competing in Tokyo, the prior games,
02:30and having no crowd, it was amazing to get a medal,
02:33but having a crowd there is gonna be unbelievable.
02:36The food is amazing.
02:38I'm just telling you right now,
02:39if you've never been to Paris before,
02:42the food just tastes so much better
02:46than anywhere I've ever eaten.