The American Olympian has opened up about some of the shocking things she encountered at the Paris Olympic Games.
American Olympian McKenzie Long has opened up about the shocking details about her Olympic debut in Paris, France.
She had just turned professional before the US Olympic trials after winning the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and signing with German brand Adidas.
McKenzie Long then proceeded to the US Olympic trials where to everyone’s surprise, she rounded up the podium and made the cut to the Olympic team. Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown finished second and third respectively.
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The 24-year-old revealed that she was met with a surprise at the Olympic Village, revealing that Europe has a funny way of living. In an interview with the Ready Set Go podcast, McKenzie Long disclosed that the food served was too little and she had to ask for snacks and store some more to keep her going.
She revealed that their way of cooking was also different, admitting that most of the time, she thought the food was raw, something she never expected in her first year as a professional athlete.
“It was just a fruition moment and I was just like, ‘This is really happening’ and the transition from America to Europe was crazy. I was more upset about the food, like you know I went over there and like in Europe their plate size is like the palm of my hand. I was like how am I supposed to eat off this,” McKenzie Long revealed.
“I was wondering how I would be able to perform in such a setting but luckily, we had a Team USA dining hall so I had to stuck up my food so that if I went to the village, I wouldn’t be hungry. Nobody told me about snacks but it was a very crazy moment for me.
“Everyone was asking about how the Olympics were and it was stressful. The nutritionists tried to help me out and give me food and there were some snacks in the team room but it wasn’t enough. The baking looked like it was raw and I was like that was absolutely crazy.”
Despite the challenges, the American sprinter was very impressive and she managed to reach the final of the women’s 200m where she finished distant seventh.
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Her two teammates, Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown finished on the podium, with the former winning the gold and the latter claiming the bronze.
She now shifts focus to the 2025 season with her main focus being on the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
