- Title: Tearful U.S. BMX silver winner Roberts thanks wife for support
- Date: 2nd August 2021
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) UNITED STATES (U.S.) SILVER MEDALLIST IN BMX FREESTYLE, HANNAH ROBERTS AND U.S. BRONZE MEDALLIST IN 3-METRE SPRINGBOARD DIVING, KRYSTA PALMER, SITTING DOWN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALLIST IN BMX FREESTYLE, HANNAH ROBERTS, SAYING: "You know I think that the biggest person that I have to thank for being here and doing so well.. oh my gosh (WIPES AWAY TEARS) is my wife (CRIES). She stuck with me throughout the hard times and you know (CRIES) Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Sorry, but yeah, there were days I didn't want to wake up to go and ride and I was too tired and I couldn't push anymore and she had my back through it all. We moved pretty far away from training centres and, you know, she would still drive me to the skate parks when I was too tired she'd sit there all session and call tricks no matter how late she had worked or what she had to do the next day. She's definitely my biggest supporter and seriously I have this, I mean I'm so grateful. I wouldn't have been here, I wouldn't have gotten you know (CRIES PALMER PUTS HER HAND ON ROBERTS' ARM) I wouldn't have gotten silver if it wasn't for her so she's definitely the reason that I'm here and that I did so well so I'm forever grateful for that." WIPES AWAY TEARS (audio of voice saying "It's really dusty in here) NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALLIST IN 3-METRE SPRINGBOARD DIVING, KRYSTA PALMER, SAYING: "My experience here at the Olympic Games has been really a dream come true for me. This is a 24 year goal in the making and I originally didn't start out as a diver. I was a gymnast at a very young age of 5 when I first started athletics and I transferred into trampoline and thought I had Olympic potential in both of those sports and it turned out that God had other plans for me and now I'm here at the Olympic Games representing USA Diving and Team USA and I'm just so grateful and thankful to be here representing our great country." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING
- Embargoed: 16th August 2021 10:55
- Keywords: BMX Hannah Roberts Krysta Palmer Olympics Team USA Tokyo 2020 diving springboard
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001EOL770N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The silver medallist of the first women's BMX freestyle gold at the Olympics, Hannah Roberts, on Monday (August 2) thanked her wife for her success.
"There were days I didn't want to wake up to go and ride and I was too tired and I couldn't push anymore and she had my back through it all. We moved pretty far away from training centres and, you know, she would still drive me to the skate parks when I was too tired she'd sit there all session and call tricks no matter how late she had worked or what she had to do the next day," a tearful Roberts told a news conference.
Roberts had a more productive pandemic than most people with the 19-year-old buying a home and marrying her wife Kelsey, all while training for the delayed Tokyo Olympics, where BMX freestyle made its historic debut.
Tipped as a favourite to win the competition on Sunday (August 1) she finished second after Briton Charlotte Worthington and ahead of Nikita Ducarroz from Switzerland.
Roberts' team mate Krysta Palmer took bronze in the women's 3 metre springboard diving on Sunday becoming the first American to claim an Olympic medal in the event since the 1988 Seoul Games, when Kelly McCormick also finished third.
Palmer said she had actually started her sporting career in gymnastics.
"I was a gymnast at a very young age of 5 when I first started athletics and I transferred into trampoline and thought I had Olympic potential in both of those sports and it turned out that God had other plans for me and now I'm here at the Olympic Games representing USA Diving and Team USA," she said.
China's Shi Tingmao won the competition ahead of her synchronised diving partner Wang Han in second.
(Production: Miguel Pereira, Ilze Filks) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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