Paddler Evy Leibfarth travels to the 2024 Summer Olympics
The 20-year-old from Bryson City was the first American woman to qualify for three paddling events at the Olympic Games.
BRYSON CITY – Two weeks after winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Evy Leibfarth returned home to Bryson City to cheering fans and a string of American flags.
The city held a Leibfarth homecoming parade on Wednesday to welcome her Olympic home. In her speech to the crowd gathered in downtown Bryson City, Leibfarth thanked the community that raised her.
“Growing up here was the best thing that could have happened to me,” said Leibfarth.
People lined Main Street and Everett Street, waving flags and carrying signs that said things like “Evy inspires.” Leibfarth rode atop a bus from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, waving to everyone while holding an Olympic flag and wearing her bronze medal.
After the parade, Leibfarth joined several other WNC Olympians from years past on a stage in front of the Swain County Heritage Museum. An Olympic flag, returned to the Nantahala Outdoor Center from the 1972 Munich Olympics, hung in front of the state.
Both Bryson City and Swain County declared Wednesday Evy Leibfarth Day in recognition of her service. North Carolina State Senator Kevin Corbin presented Leibfarth with a flag that was raised in her honor at the U.S. Capitol.
The NOC will also honor Leibfarth next year with the Evy Leibfarth Scholarship, which is given to an inspirational paddler to help them get started in the sport.
The event also included a question-and-answer portion with Leibfarth and John Burton, an Olympic canoeist at the Munich Olympics, where canoe slalom was included for the first time at the Games.
JOURNEY TO BRONZE: Evy Leibfarth from Bryson City has the experience needed to shine at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
Leibfarth concluded the question-and-answer session with a message to the next generation of WNC Olympians.
“Don’t fit into a box,” Leibfarth said. “Make your own.”
Leibfarth, who grew up paddling on the Nantahala, was the first member of Team USA to win a canoe slalom since 2004, the year she was born.
Evan Gerike is the Asheville Citizen Times’ high school sports reporter. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
