Jaime Czarkowski was able to pick up her first-ever Olympic medal on Wednesday, helping USA capture a silver in artistic swimming.
Despite being born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Czarkowski chose to compete for the US team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which marks her first time competing on the Olympic stage.
The 20-year-old holds dual citizenship, as her dad was born in the United States. She told CTV News Calgary that COVID played a big part in her decision to compete for the Americans, though that wasn’t the entire reason behind the move.
Czarkowski also admitted that the US’s decision to hire Andrea Fuentes as their coach played a big part. Fuentes’ coaching values and strategies aligned with her goals, ultimately leading to her decision.
It seemed to pay off in a big way, as her team, which also featured Anita Alvarez, Megumi Field, Keana Hunter, Audrey Kwon, Jacklyn Luu, Daniella Ramirez, Ruby Remati, and Calista Liu, finished second to only the People’s Republic of China. The Canadians, meanwhile, placed sixth in the event.
It was an extremely successful day for Czarkowski and her teammates. They became the first US artistic swimming team to win a medal since the 2004 group won a bronze in Athens. This also marked the first Games the US has qualified for since 2008.
“OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALISTS,” Czarkowski wrote yesterday on Instagram. “Speechless and still can’t believe this is real life. I am so grateful for this team and our journey.”
Czarkowski and her teammates helped the Americans’ outstanding run at the Olympics. They now lead all countries with 95 medals. The People’s Republic of China is second with 70, while Canada’s 20 is tied with Germany for 10th.
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