‘True Olympic experience’: Local swimmer reflects on 2024 silver medal

Las Vegas native Katie Grimes fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams this summer. She won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She checked another item off her bucket list Tuesday. Something she said she wanted to try before becoming one of the top young swimmers in the United States.

“I used to always want to work at a fast-food restaurant when I was younger for some reason,” Grimes said.

Grimes made one of her first public appearances since winning her silver medal at Raising Cane’s on the Las Vegas Strip. The 18-year-old worked the kitchen, served meals and interacted with the Las Vegas community.

“The support of Las Vegas has been so great,” said Grimes, who swims for the Sandpipers of Nevada. “Even when I was in Paris, I got tons of messages. I really love this city and they do a great job supporting their community.”

Paris was Grimes’ second Olympics. She swam in Tokyo in 2021 during the COVID-impacted 2020 Summer Games.

Grimes said this time around she felt she had a “true Olympic experience.” There were no fans in Tokyo due to COVID-19 restrictions and she was the youngest athlete on Team USA at age 15.

“I was more outgoing and making more friends (than) when I was 15 because I was just a little more shy and (didn’t) wanted to branch out as much,” said Grimes, who added her favorite memory this Olympics was the closing ceremony. “I had more of a unique and social experience this time.”

In the lead-up to Tokyo, nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky said Grimes was the future of U.S. swimming. The two both compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle. Ledecky won her second consecutive gold medal in the event in Paris. Grimes did not advance to the final.

“She’s awesome, and for her to call me the future of swimming, it means a lot coming from someone like her and all that she’s done,” Grimes said. “Her as a person, being able to work with her has been so helpful for me going through this sport. It’s so cool.”

Grimes will likely be one of the faces of Team USA at the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

She said she got into the pool when she got home from Paris, but will be taking some time off soon before she begins preparing for 2028.

“That’s going to be so fun,” Grimes said. “The Olympics in your home country is going to be crazy. Not a lot of athletes get to do that. That’s going to be really special.”

Grimes likely won’t be the only local swimmer going to Los Angeles in 2028 given how well some of her Sandpipers teammates performed in Paris.

Claire Weinstein won a silver medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and Ilya Kharun won a pair of bronze medals in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly races for Canada.

“The Sandpipers have such depth,” Grimes said. “Being a part of that club team since I was beginning to swim has been crucial in my progression through this sport. They do a great job of all stages of swimmers.”

Grimes, in addition to the 400 IM and 1,500 freestyle, also participated in the 10-kilometer open water race in the Seine River. She finished 15th.

There was some concern going into the event regarding the water quality in the river. Grimes said even though she took a few gulps of water while swimming, she was more concerned about finishing the race.

“I was a little nervous to swim in it, not going to lie,” Grimes said. “I put my faith in the people that were hosting the event and testing the water quality, but I honestly didn’t think about it once I was swimming. … It was really challenging swimming in that water with a current.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.