CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Evy Leibfarth made waves in Tokyo, qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics at the age of 17.
Now 20, the Bryson City, NC native qualified for the upcoming Olympics in Paris at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Montgomery, Alabama last weekend.
Leibfarth was just getting started in Tokyo, posting a Top 15 finish in the kayak slalom and Top 20 finish in canoe slalom.
And she's only getting better.
Just recently she won two gold medals at the Pan American games in Chile.
"I didn't realize how nervous I would be before my first Olympic event," Leibfarth said. "And it makes sense. It is my childhood dream. But I was so in my head. This time around I'm excited to appreciate the journey more."
This time around, Leibfarth, who sometimes trains at the Whitewater Center, will participate in a new Olympics sport -- Kayak Cross.
Four paddlers drop on to the river from two meters up, and are then permitted to contact one another in a race against the clock.
They must also complete one "eskimo roll" before the finish line.
For Leibfarth, a Red Bull athlete, it's right up her alley.
"In the more traditional slalom, you have everything planned out," she said. "This is the complete opposite. You have no idea what's going to happen."
Leibfarth will attempt to qualify for the Olympics in kayak cross and kayak slalom at the next stage of the Olympic Trials in Oklahoma City on April 26-27.
