So, back into the suitcase went her must-pack item: Wilson, the stuffed bear she’s had forever and takes on all her travels. “This sounds really ridiculous, ’cause I’m literally 18,” she said, quipping, “but if I don’t have it in the hotel room, I don’t hit my REM.”
Though it’s her second Olympics, in many ways it’ll be a first-time-for-almost-everything adventure, including the opening and closing ceremonies, which she and many other other athletes skipped three years ago.
In Tokyo, “the stands were empty, everything was empty,” Grimes recalled. “Not even my parents were able to watch—nobody’s were.”
And having her family with her in Paris will mean the world. “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.”