Meet DMV Olympic fencer Tatiana Nazlymov

Bethesda fencer Tatiana Nazlymov is making her Olympic debut next month.

Why it matters: The 19-year-old Princeton student is among a handful of people with DMV ties headed to Paris for the summer games.

The big picture: The games will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, with about 10,500 athletes competing.

Zoom in: Nazlymov, who went to Georgetown Day School, picked up the sport at age 9 and grew up fencing at her family's club in Bethesda, Nazlymov Fencing .

• Fencing runs in the family — her father, Vitali Nazlymov, is an NCAA champion, and her grandfather, Vladimir Nazlymov, is a three-time Olympic champion.

Fave D.C. spots: In high school, she and her friends would shop in Georgetown, and frequent SeoulSpice in Tenleytown for lunch.

• Also a fave: boba — specifically Kung Fu Tea's lychee black tea.

What she's saying: Heading into the Olympics, she's trying to keep the pressure low and focus on taking it all in. "I still have a lot of career ahead of me if I want to," says Nazlymov. "I'm really just there to enjoy the experience."

• That being said, she is excited about sightseeing in Paris — and the food, of course.

Good luck charm: Nazlymov's dad always travels with her and keeps a lucky silver horseshoe with him from Nazlymov's early days as a rider.

Advice for strivers: "The biggest thing that helped me get to where I am is just having confidence in my coaches," she says. "That belief — that confidence in myself and in my team — was a big factor."