Athlete making record 4th appearance at Olympics, hopes to medal

WBRE (NEXSTAR) — Drums native Casey Eichfeld is set to endure a challenge unlike any other. His 4th Olympics as a slalom canoeist, and for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics. He missed out on Tokyo in 2020 but qualified for this year’s Paris games with some added motivation throughout his training.

“I was able to prove both to myself and to everyone else that I’m still in this. Just because I’m one of the older athletes at this point and I’ve had some time away, that I have a family now. Those things don’t mean that I’m done.”

Eichfeld has cemented his name across the history books. He became the first American to compete in both singles and doubles in the same Olympics. He’s now also the first American to race in the slaloms in four different Olympics. His consistent success is known globally but Eichfeld from the start was born to race in the whitewaters.

“We decided that he was going to be a racer. And so, we actually bought his first boat before he was born.”

“Basically, the parents would just trade off, they’d take all the kids. So, they would trade that expense, trade that time commitment, and make sure we were getting the training we needed.”

Eichfeld’s parents were both canoeists, and now they’re watching their oldest son compete against the best in the world, and for Steve, he considers Casey his lottery jackpot.

“We were going to make him a world class paddler, and he just didn’t know it. What are the odds of wanting something, and then actually getting it because it involved another person. And he just fell in love with the sport.”

His highest finish at the Olympics is 7th. That came in 2016 in the C1 event. His goal this year is to attack the podium meaning win a medal. But Eichfeld also has his eyes set on Los Angeles in 2028.

“That’s like his home Olympics and he’s serious, he wants to go another four years.”

“Experience has a lot to do with our sport, experience and ability to deal with stress, and the pressures of racing so I like to think that maybe I’ll be able to benefit from that as well and 38’s not so bad, maybe 42’s unrealistic.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.