SARATOGA SPRINGS — Kristi Wagner, of Saratoga Springs, rowed in her first Olympics for Team USA in Toyko, Japan.
Wagner paired up with Gevvie Stone, an Olympic medalist from Cambridge, MA, for the double scull in the Olympic Trials. At the Olympics, the duo finished third in the semi-finals, and in fifth in the finals on Wednesday, July 28. Their time was 6 minutes and 51.98 seconds over the 1,500 meter course at the Sea Forest Waterway.
“I’m really proud to have been able to represent Saratoga at the Olympics. It is an incredible community that welcomed me as one of its own,” said Wagner. “I feel humbled by the outpouring of support I’ve received, and it only helped to encourage me to perform my best. We raced hard in Tokyo and while you always want to win, I’m proud of the performances we put together and to be US Olympian.”
A watch party was held at Druthers Brewing Company on Wednesday to watch Wagner compete. Prior to the Olympics, she rowed at Yale University. Upon moving to Saratoga, Wagner has been training with Dr. Bryan Briddell at Saratoga Peak Performance, and she is apart of the elite ARION (Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast) team.
“She is one of the hardest working athletes, and is intrinsically motivated like most rowers are,” said Briddell. “I am really proud of her. She has overcome a lot of obstacles, and I told her to believe in the process, believe in your dreams, and she did it.”
