Athletes Who Inspire: Paige Madden ‘proud to represent’ Mobile, Gulf Coast community at Olympics

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Following the opening ceremony, the Olympic games kicked off, and among the athletes in Paris is local swimming star Paige Madden.

Madden, a former UMS-Wright Preparatory School swimmer, is in Paris along with her family for her second Olympic games.

WKRG News 5 spoke with the family of the swimmer, who earned a silver in Tokyo and two gold medals in the pan-American games in the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle, before they left for Paris.

Madden’s mother, Ellen Madden, told News 5 that it has been fun to watch her daughter’s journey that has taken her around the world.

“It’s been fun to watch her mature because she graduated in May of 21 and went straight to the Olympics and then went straight into professional swimming,” Madden’s mother, Ellen Madden, told News 5.

“So it’s been a very nomadic existence since then. She’s been around the globe. She spent a year in grad school in Europe, bouncing around from Arizona State to Texas to altitude training in Colorado, so it’s been fun to watch her mature. And it’s also been fun from a swimming aspect to watch her do it for herself.”

But although she is yet again a long way from home, her family said she is proudly representing the Gulf Coast community she is from.

“She’s very proud to represent Mobile,” said Madden’s mother. “She has a long-term age group, Coach Tyler Kearns, who has been with her from swimming from the time she was a guppy all the way through now. And they talk on a regular basis.”

Madden’s mother continued, “And so she’s proud to support swimming and support swimming and the city that’s been here for a long time.”

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