LSU hurdler Damion Thomas secures spot on Jamaican National Team for Tokyo Olympics
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Updated: 6:41 AM CDT Jun 28, 2021
WDSU Digital Team
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Updated: 6:41 AM CDT Jun 28, 2021
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Yeah. Ashley tappin Dawson's life has been defined by water A swimming prodigy in 1988 at 13 years old, she was the youngest swimmer ever to compete at the US. Olympic trials 1992. She made team U. S. A. And won gold in Barcelona 92 as a puppy. I was 17. I was like, you know, deer in headlights, everything was amazing, it was The whole Olympic experience, you're looking at it, you know, with these huge eyes and everything is great. But by 2000 after an all American career at the University of Arizona and more international gold medals, shoulder injuries made competing in the Sydney Olympics more difficult, but she pushed herself to do it. It's like that feeling of okay, I'm going to regret So if I don't go one more time, give it 110 then the regrets, we'll be there for the rest of my life and I'm so glad I did. Sydney was amazing. I had a completely different perspective, different perspective, same results, actually, better results. Two more gold medals to close your career olympics back in here and get married and the mother of 10 year old twins now the former Olympian is still competing, racing triathlons around the country also, she recently teamed up with three others for a challenging exercise, a charity swim across 24 mile long lake pontchartrain. And speaking of challenging, that's the best way to describe the upcoming Tokyo olympics delayed a year due to the pandemic, my heart completely breaks, it breaks because I know how special that olympic experiences and I don't know if these athletes are going to get that while older athletes have had to work harder and train longer to stay in shape during the delay tap induce and believes it will be younger, olympians affected most by the changes in Tokyo, That's tough. You know, my mom was there, my coach was there, I know I had friends cheering for me, you know you got your fans in the stands, it's not going to have any of that, but they will have a former gold medalist cheering them on from about 7000 miles away. There's just like a fierce competitor in me that just is never going to die or go away, but I'm on the couch, I'm screaming you know I'm hollering at the T. V. I get like super pumped and emotional So yes I'm going to be there, I'm gonna be screaming the whole time already. A member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. Ashley was recently inducted into the Louisiana High School Hall of Fame, joining her as part of the class of 2021 Peyton and eli manning. Pretty good company on the road to the Tokyo olympics. I'm fletcher, Mackel