Olympic spotlight: Highland's Ranch rower Jessica Thoennes seeks first medal

Two seconds is all that separated Jessica Thoennes from Olympic glory three years ago.

Zoom in: Thoennes, a rower from Highlands Ranch, took fourth place in the U.S. women's eight-person rowing team in the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, missing out on a bronze by a pair of seconds .

• Now, Thoennes joins Azja Czajkowski, who's making her Olympic debut in Paris, for another shot at a podium finish — this time for the U.S. women's pair team.

The intrigue: Thoennes, who attended Mountain Vista High School, hadn't rowed before walking on to the team at the University of Washington.

What they're saying: "I've always been scrappy. I've never been the No. 1 … I'm a bit of a stubborn creature and I just keep working at things," Thoennes told the Highlands Ranch Herald about her work ethic, which she credits with getting her to the Olympics.

What's next: Women's pair rowing begins Sunday.