second games this summer in Paris.
Leibfarth said representing her country on the world stage is “an accumulation of all of the teamwork and the dream that got me here,” she said. “All of Team USA is full of these amazing, talented and super passionate athletes, and just being a part of that is so inspiring to me.” At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she placed 18th and 12th in her Kayak and Canoe Slalom events. Leibfarth says that experience was a “dream come true.”She began competing internationally at the age of 12, but her connection to the water goes back even farther. Her mother served as a paddling instructor, and her father was a former slalom racer.Leibfarth’s support network extends beyond her family and teammates.
This year, that passion will guide Leibfarth as she competes in the kayak and canoe slalom events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Despite the success, experience and wisdom she’s achieved, Leibfarth still sees this as just the beginning of her story. “I still have many more years ahead of me. I know that right now, it’s just the start, even though it is my second games, which is crazy,” Leibfarth said. “It’s knowing that I still have so much to learn, so much to go for and a lot more years ahead of me.”Photo courtesy of Red Bull