United States women’s swimmer Katie Grimes knew what it felt like to go to the Olympics and not win a medal.
In the Tokyo Games in 2021, Grimes was just 15 years old when she qualified for the 800-meter freestyle next to U.S. legend Katie Ledecky, who called the phenom the "future of swimming." However, Grimes just missed a spot on the podium, finishing fourth in the 800-meter freestyle final.
But Grimes’ drive never wavered, and her work ethic and commitment to improving paid off in Paris earlier this month when she secured silver in the women’s 400-meter individual medley final.
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Now, Grimes can forever say she’s an Olympic medalist.
"That was awesome," Grimes told Fox News Digital of winning her medal while at a celebratory homecoming "shift" at Raising Cane’s in her hometown of Las Vegas. "With not medaling at my first Olympics, I feel like it made me really appreciate getting a medal in this Olympics. It’s such a big honor, but to know what it felt like to not get a medal the first time made it even more special this time."
Unlike her first trip to the Olympics, Grimes didn’t compete in just one event. She also swam in the 1500-meter freestyle and open-water 10K, where she became the only Olympic athlete to ever attempt the 400-meter and open-water 10K at the Olympics.
AMERICANS KATIE GRIMES, EMMA WEYANT CAPTURE MEDALS IN 400-METER MEDLEY AT PARIS OLYMPICS
At just 18 years old, Grimes’ hunger for more Olympic medals is already driving her to think about the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"Honestly, I feel a lot more motivated coming out of this Olympics with a medal than I did after not medaling in Tokyo," Grimes, the first athlete on any team to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, said. "Even though I thought I was super motivated after Tokyo, I feel even more of a sense of passion for these next couple years."
Grimes’ potential is sky-high, especially now that she has a taste of Olympic glory. Of course, every Olympic athlete searches for gold, and Grimes knows she can still work to get that feeling of standing above the rest of her competition and hearing the national anthem playing as she wears gold.
Whether it’s Tokyo, Paris or Los Angeles four years from now, Grimes says her goal of qualifying and beating the competition won’t change.
"The vision has never changed for me," she said. "I’ve always just had a set goal in mind and the commitment, I think, was what got me to that point. Just having this very specific goal, I think that’s really important to have."
CELEBRATING AT CANE’S
Now back in the States, Grimes is in celebratory mode after a successful trip to France. She did so at Raising Cane’s in Las Vegas, where she stood behind the counter dishing out Box Combos while her family, friends and locals cheered her on. Grimes even met with Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo after her time at Cane’s.
While a dream came true in Paris with a medal, another childhood dream was checked off with this special event.
"It’s so much fun," she said. "When I was growing up, my dream job was at a fast-food restaurant. So, I got to experience that today. That was really cool."
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