Did you know the Olympics are only two weeks away? Did you also know that there is a USF alum participating in this year's games? Class of 2010 alum Paige Railey will be making her Olympic debut in London in just two weeks, competing in the laser radial.
If you're wondering what a laser radial is, its a single person sailing dinghy (here's a picture), and this is the second Olympic games that the laser radial is a medaling sport. The laser radial preliminaries run from July 30-August 4, with the medal race set for August 6.
What makes it better for Paige this year is how she failed to make it for the 2008 Olympic games. Railey's boat tipped over after her life vest caught with the boom. Anna Tunnicliffe represented the USA instead of Bailey won the gold medal in Beijing. Here is a great interview Paige did with the Washington Post back in June with Railey and her brother Zach, who also qualified for the Olympics.
Railey has a great chance to medal this year, winning the gold at the LRWC in 2005, and winning the bronze in 2010 and 2011. If Railey can keep that going, we could see our first the first Olympic medalist in USF history.
Below is an interview with Paige after she qualified for the Olympics at the 2011 Laser Radial World Championships in Perth, Australia. Paige's interview starts right at a minute into the video.
Good luck Paige!