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Virgin Islands representative Katie Tannenbaum celebrates following completing her third attempt at the skeleton at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
BEIJING (AP) — Katie Tannenbaum made it to the Olympics and finished last.
But this does not make her sad.
Neither should he, knowing his history. She overcame all odds to make it to the Beijing Games. The California native competes in skeleton in the United States Virgin Islands, where she has lived since 2007. Her claim to fame occurred two years ago when she collided with her head on a broom that had been left on the track. two years ago. She came to Beijing only following Sweden and France declined to send her athletes.
As if that weren’t enough, it looked like he was going to have to retire two hours before the competition. Last week he tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the opportunity to carry his country’s flag at the opening ceremony and was cleared to race until the last training session.
“It was a very stressful week,” Tannenbaum acknowledged.
Now you have good reason to laugh. It took the 36-year-old athlete a long time to reach the Olympics. She thought that she had qualified for Pyeongchang 2018, but they chose other competitors to complete the field.
“Sure, there was a time when I thought that was it, but I think it would have been more feasible for me to retire if I had gone in 2018, in the end I’m glad I didn’t,” he added.
It’s the same resilience that the island you call home has.
The Virgin Islands were devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, a Category 5 hurricane — the most destructive — and caused $4 billion in damage. Two weeks later, another Category 5 storm, Hurricane Maria, struck once more, although the impact was less.
Tannenbaum continued, dealt with the disappointment of not attending Pyeongchang and has continued to deal with the ups and downs ever since.
“I think being considered ‘inspiring’ is one of the highest compliments one can receive,” Tannenbaum admitted. “If I hear it from even one person, I feel like I made an impact.”
