2024 Paris Olympics: who is 18-year old Olympian swimmer Katie Grimes?
In Tokyo, the American made waves in the world of swimming after qualifying for the Olympics at the age of 15 years old. She intends to do the same in Paris.
Regarded as the future of the sport in the United States, Katie Grimes has been turning heads ever since she made her Olympic debut in Paris almost four years ago. Now, she aims to go a step further by winning a medal, but who is this talented 18-year-old?
Katie Grimes isn’t just the “future”, she’s the “now”
When Katie Grimes booked her ticket to the Tokyo Games almost four years ago, she did so via a second-place finish in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2021. The winner of that race, Katie Ledecky, who also made her own debut at 15 and has since become the most decorated female swimmer in history, had some words of encouragement following the finish. “I told her after her mile the other day when she got third, I said, ‘You’re the future.’ And I told her after that [final], like, she’s the now.” In the end, Grimes finished just shy of the podium in Tokyo, while Ledecky won her third straight gold medal, but the experience was not lost on her.
“That was pretty crazy,” she said, thinking back to the compliment she couldn’t process at the time as it came from her childhood idol. Today, she is known as “Katie Squared” on the circuit, a nickname given to her by Ledecky herself. “She and Michael Phelps were the It-swimmers, so I always looked up to her. To hear her say that was definitely shocking at first—I don’t think I even comprehended it - but it was cool, for sure.” Indeed, Grimes has come a long way since her childhood days swimming for the Sandpipers’ competitive team in Nevada where she grew up.
OK, where does Katie Grimes go from here?
As for what comes next i.e., what can we expect from Grimes in Paris? It’s interesting to note that despite dropping the 800m from her program, she has a legitimate shot at the 400m IM in which she finished second to Ledecky, and the 1,500m freestyle where she has continued to improve, something she puts down to the work she’s been doing both in and outside of the pool. “I get the saying, ‘work smarter, not harder,’ but I feel like we do both really well,” the 18-year-old told E!. “That’s helped propel me and has given me confidence for this coming summer, because we have literally put in so much work - so many meters - that I know I can do anything. I have full confidence in my body and in my mind.”
There is also another factor that Grimes considers to be an important part of her continued growth, her family. In Tokyo with pandemic restrictions in place, many athletes skipped things such as the opening and closing ceremonies and so too did their families, who in many cases didn’t even attend the games themselves. In that sense, one could say this is in reality her first true Olympic experience though she’s participated in the games before. “The stands were empty, everything was empty,” Grimes recalled. “Not even my parents were able to watch - nobody’s were.” In Paris, things will be different and it’s something she is relishing. “Explaining it to them or showing pictures is one thing,” Grimes said, “but them being there to be a part of it will be awesome. They work just as hard as I work, so I’m excited that they get to be a recipient of those rewards as well.”
So, what now? As we know, at this year’s Olympic trials in the spring, Grimes won the 400m IM in addition to three other events, at the Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions in April. Following that solid run, she won the women’s 10k at the 2024 Open Water National & Junior National Championships in May with a time of 1:58:18, four minutes faster than the time that got her into the Olympics. Speaking about those marathon swims, she explained her approach. “I’m constantly calculating, constantly going over strategy,” Grimes said. Practice sessions can be “a little more meditative, but it’s still grinding, still taking a lot of mental effort to be 100 percent in the moment. Because if you’re not in the moment,” she added, “then you could be wasting movement. It’s definitely important to be focused on what you’re doing while you’re doing it, and try not to drift off too much.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done which is why she forcefully gives herself timeouts. Whether it’s watching TV, spending time with her family or driving her vintage Corvette, she knows all too well that rest and recovery are as important as training.”Practice and competition can definitely take a toll, not only physically but also mentally,” she said, “and sometimes emotionally, too. Being able to relax and not even think about the pool is hard to do as an athlete. But it’s necessary to think about anything other than swimming for just a little bit of time.”