Swimmer Katie Hoff arrived at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with significant expectations.
She held the world record in the 400m individual medley and was even hailed as the “female Michael Phelps.”
She left Beijing with three Olympic medals, but none of them were gold.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
“I always viewed it like I have to be a gold medalist or it's not an accomplishment,” Hoff said on the “Finding Mastery” podcast with Dr. Michael Gervais and five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin.
Hoff, who is now the host of the “Unfiltered Waters” podcast with six-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin, is in Paris attending the Olympics as a member of the media. It is the first Olympic Games she has attended since competing in Beijing.
“There's definitely been some healing,” Hoff said. “I've done a ton of work.”
Attending the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics was cathartic for Hoff.
“It was the first time that I actually realized being an Olympian is cool,” she said. “I obviously always knew it was an amazing accomplishment, but being on the other side of it and sitting there and actually being able to see how the rest of the world viewed an Olympian, I had this moment at the Opening Ceremony where I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’”
