Metamora welcomes silver medalist Anna Peplowski home

METAMORA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Welcome home, Anna Peplowski.

The chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” were loud in the Metamora High School’s Toepke Gymnasium and central Illinoisians welcomed the silver medalist home on Friday night.

Peplowski sat in a fire truck and waved to fans along a route from her Riverview Grade School in Germantown Hills to house to the high school where a loud crowd awaited her.

“It really set in today, seeing everybody. Being able to say that I’m from Germantown Hills and Metamora. Having the best support staff here is really amazing,” Peplowski said.

The Indiana University All-Americans and former Metamora High School state champion earned a silver medal as part of the U.S. 200 free relay. She just returned home from the Summer Olympics in Paris.

“Here and there I will get a little emotional thinking about making it to this point. I’ve been journaling a lot, writing down my thoughts and emotions. I’ll be looking back on it in the future,” said Peplowski. “I’m just trying to capture everything and take everything in.”

Peplowski, who posed for pictures and signed autographs at the celebrtation, says she hasn’t thought much about the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. But she did reveal a tattoo of the Olympic rings which was just put on her forearm.

“I was never really into tattoos but this is something I will cherish the rest of my life,” said Peplowski. “It’s been awesome. Going in I didn’t know what kind of shape or about the location. But (the artist) put it on and it was perfect. I said, ‘Let’s go with it!'”

Peplowski presented a $1,700 check to her Metamora Area Swim Team coach Shane Morrison as a donation to the program that helped launch her athletics career. Morrison also coached her in high school.

She returns to Indiana for her senior year of college next week.

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