18-year-old swimming star Katie Grimes enjoyed a successful 2024 Paris Olympics and came home with a silver medal in the women’s 400 m individual medley, missing out on gold to an excellent performance from Canada’s Summer McIntosh.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Olympian has recently expressed some regrets about how certain things went in Paris. Notably, Grimes finished 15th in the 10 km marathon swimming final, but it’s fair to say she was somewhat distracted before the race. 

It was widely reported before the games that there were concerns surrounding the River Seine’s water safety, with historically high pollution levels a hot topic of discussion. Despite millions being spent on a program to reduce E. coli levels in the River Seine, the men’s triathlon event was initially postponed due to unacceptable readings. 

Considering the above, it’s no wonder that Grimes was anxious before the event. In a recent interview, she admitted, “I hope I don’t have to ever go in the river again, but it was a lot of fun. I was a little nervous before I got in – just hoping that I didn’t get sick”.

However, Grimes did go on to state that once the race had started, she didn’t think about the river’s potential dangers anymore and was entirely focused on the task at hand. At just 18 years old, Grimes has already achieved so much, but it’s fair to say she’s got a lot of room to improve, and many will be eagerly anticipating to see how she gets on at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.