Local Olympian shares journey to Paris | Rooted In Progress

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — You may have thought the Olympics hype has died down a bit, safe to say it has not. The Paralympics are underway in Paris, and to top that, the games return to home turf in 2028. Los Angeles will be the next host city.

The 2024 Olympic games was the first full event post-pandemic with veteran athletes and rising stars. One of those athletes is right in our own backyard: long jumper Monae’ Nichols from Polk County.

On today’s episode of ‘Rooted in Progress’, Nichols joins hosts Deanne King and Terrance Middlebrook to share her journey to Paris. This was the 25 year old’s first Olympic games. She talks about the hurdles she had to jump — both literally and figuratively — to get to the games.

We also discuss how the track and field sport is being revolutionized, going beyond the two weeks of the world’s largest sporting event.

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