In a year where U.S. Olympic medals have been hard to come by, Denver's Lauren Gibbs is delivering.
On Wednesday, she and teammate Elana Meyers Taylor won silver in the two-person bobsled event - missing out on gold by a mere 0.07 seconds.
To some, the medal may come as a surprise considering Gibbs picked up bobsledding less than four years ago. But to those who watched her train, it comes as no surprise at all.
"I have so much pride," said Skip Miller, the owner of Front Range Cross Fit in Denver.
Miller was one of the first people to recognize Gibbs' athletic talents when she first joined his gym in December of 2013, still a working woman earning a 6-figure salary.
"[She is] super strong, a super explosive woman just walking in the door," he said.
After six months at the gym, Miller said Gibbs naturally befriended other Olympic athletes who train at the gym. In the summer of 2014, he said one suggested to Gibbs she pick up bobsledding considering her athletic ability.
By January of 2015, Gibbs had moved to New York to train at the United States Olympic Facility. She was a natural. Just over three years later and Gibbs is now an Olympic medalist.
"It wants to bring tears to your eyes but you got to fight that back because you know what kind of accomplishment it is," said Pete Mentz who works out at FRCF and now has Gibbs' former locker. "You want to share in her accomplishments."
"I'm incredibly proud of what she has achieved, but really Lauren did this," Miller said. "Lauren set the goal, did the work, and made it happen."
