Olympic and Paralympic athletes from New England joined dozens of Team USA members from across the country in New York Wednesday to celebrate being 100 days way from the Paris Olympics this week.
The athletes participated in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee media summit in Times Square.
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We spoke with Olympic sprinter and two-time medalist Gabby Thomas about working toward a gold medal in Paris this summer. The Harvard University alum, who began running track and field when she went to school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, also shared her goals of making a difference in the health care industry.
Thomas now trains in Austin, Texas, where she completed a master's degree in epidemiology and health care management from the University of Texas Health Science Center. She also works at a volunteer health care clinic.
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"I envision a really long career in track and field. I envision many more medals. I envision continuing to work at the clinic and when I retire working in the health care space," Thomas said. "But most importantly, I really envision myself making an impact in the communities that I am a part of and I hope I inspire, especially, another generation of girls to follow in the same footsteps."
The USOPC summit featured several press conferences that highlighted the contributions of Olympians outside of sports. Vermont native and Olympic Rugby player Ilona Maher spoke about her focus on mental health and how she uses social media to promote body positivity.
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"I think they see me and they see somebody who maybe wasn't always society's idea of feminine, society's idea of beautiful, and maybe can help them a little bit, as well, like, 'Oh, I have broad shoulders like that as well, but I've always felt this way,' or 'I want to be strong, but muscles aren't considered this,' and seeing me, I think, helps them a little bit," said Maher.
Jessica Davis Savner will be competing in the modern pentathlon event at the Paris Olympics. She spoke with NBC10 Boston about how it can be challenging to train for five different sports -- horse riding, swimming, fencing, running and shooting -- in her home state of Connecticut.
"We're New England, our weather isn't always the best," Davis Savner said. "We have mornings where it's pouring rain, or there is ice, wind, and you have to completely rearrange your day. Or, you know, you have to just gut it out, go outside when it's not super nice out, or roads are bad you can't make it to practice on time. There's a lot of hurdles each and every day to put together those days and those really good moments, and I don't think people always see what actually goes into training for five sports."
The Paris Olympics will be the first games to achieve gender parity, meaning for the first time in Olympic history, women athletes will have as many places in the Games as male athletes.
Two-time medalist in basketball and University of Connecticut alum Breanna Stewart shared other areas where she would like to see progress toward equity.
"I think some of the steps that we need to continue to take going forward, obviously equal pay in the WNBA and making sure we have the same viewership rights and things like that, where we are continuing to be spotlighted," she said. "Maternal rights, I think that's going to be one that is very interesting in the Olympics, because depending on your country, there's a lot of moms who still like being their best at both making sure that they have the child care that they need to be able to do that, to be their best, on the court or on the field or whatever they're playing, and also at home with their kids."
The media summit also included several Paralympic athletes, highlighting the growth of the Paralympic games and increasing accessibility to sports.
"That was a big thing for me, as a kid going from sport to sport to sport to find my sport, my people," said Connecticut native and Paralympic Rower Ben Washburne. "It can't be understated how important it is to be on a team with other people, just like day-to-day. I think that should be a right for everyone to have. And so, if you are born with a disability, it's something that is completely out of your control, there needs to be a platform and resources for them to be able to do the sport at the highest level."
Stay tuned for more of these and many more New England athlete stories on NBC10 Boston in the next 100 days leading up to the Olympics.
