COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The 2024 Paris Olympics officially got underway Friday with a powerful opening ceremony featuring athletes from around the world.
A sold-out crowd watched the ceremony at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, cheering every time an American athlete appeared.
Off to the side, Littleton’s Sammy Schultz caught glimpses of the action as well, while mingling with fans for her first Olympic ceremony as an Olympian.
“To meet them and explain my sport and what I got to do is a really neat experience,” said Schultz.
Schultz had to watch the opening ceremonies from home in 2021 due to the pandemic.
“We were all in our homes and I didn’t want to get COVID before I went to the Olympics, so I was trying to stay isolated,” she said. “Now I can experience that camaraderie.”
She says it was exciting to watch fans react to the American athletes, and says she’s looking forward to cheering for people from across the world in the weeks to come.
“There’s so many people, and seeing the excitement, everyone’s walking around with their team USA flags, and I think just seeing that camaraderie and cheering for all the countries too, it’s just really neat that we can bring the whole world together,” she said.