Evita Griskenas | teamusa.org
Evita Griskenas | teamusa.org
Team USA rhythmic gymnastics Evita Griskenas has a clear and vivid picture of how she sees her time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics developing.
"There's drawings that I would make when I was little of me standing on a little podium holding a medal and on the bottom of it the caption says 'Olympics,'" Griskenas told NBC Chicago in the days before she and her teammates were set to take to the mats for the start of group and individual competition in Tokyo on the weekend of Aug. 5. "It feels thrilling, but also in a way, full of responsibility because now I'm not only responsible to myself and my family and, you know, my coaches and stuff, but also to my country and to represent rhythmic gymnastics from the USA is a really big deal to me,”
As one of nine members from the North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center and a four-time Pan American gold medalist, Griskenas’ reputation precedes her in Tokyo. She describes the sport as a combination of "gracefulness and elegance" mixed with "lots of strength," adding her individual training includes “lots of cross training that incorporates ballet technique and dance, as well as lots of strength training and conditioning."
Griskenas adds her words to live by are “I can. I will. I must.”
Griskenas had hoped her family would be able to join her in Tokyo at The Games, but said she knows they will be there in spirit.
"I know they're super supportive and very excited and definitely on the emotional side, for sure," she said, adding that her parents are now planning to attend a watch party to cheer her and her teammates on from afar.
"I appreciate each and every single one of you, and your support genuinely means a lot to me," she said. "And when I see your messages or just even know that you guys are watching I feel very full and I hope that when I perform you can feel that sort of emotion being given back to you guys."
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