WESTLAKE, Ohio — Adelaide Aquilla has come a long way in a very short time.
After her first two years at Ohio State, she re-dedicated herself to her sport, shotput, exploding in her junior season, winning the Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles, as well as the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships.
But the wild ride came to a peak at the Olympic trials when she realized, she had made Team U.S.A.
"It was a very overwhelming emotion...it kind of hit me that I was going to the Olympics. I started walking into the ring and I started crying and I just really didn't focus on the throw because I already knew I secured my spot," she recalled.
And that meant she was going to Tokyo.
Getting a chance to wear the U.S.A jersey for the first time was a very special experience for the 22-year-old Westlake native. She says, the honor of representing her country was like nothing else she’s done before.
"It was very honorable to represent Team U.S.A at the Olympics and then also end up with our team winning so that was an amazing feeling."
But going from the high of the Olympic trials, to throwing in an empty Olympic stadium in the biggest meet of her life was almost surreal.
"Once we got into the competition, you could hear a pin drop," she said. To walk into there and just have no fans or just quietness the whole time was different but I'm glad I got to experience and add it to something that i can compete in again and know what to expect from it."
Even though Adelaide missed the finals, she says she’ll cherish the experience, with her goal of being back at the games in Paris in 2024.
"Walking out of the stadium, I was a little disappointed in how I did," Adelaide said. "But... then I started to come to the realization, I was like, I'm an Olympian. I was one of the youngest girls in the field and that was my first-ever international meet."
And she wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for all of the support she received from so many here in Northeast Ohio. Much of it coming from people she’s never met.
"Seeing everybody rally behind me was just very overwhelming and heartwarming," she said. "I had people random people just messaging me a... [even] people from Michigan being like I dislike Ohio State but I'm gonna cheer for you type of thing...it was really awesome to have a whole community behind me."
As for what’s next… Adelaide starts her senior year at Ohio State in a few weeks. She still has two Indoor seasons and an outdoor season of eligibility remaining at the collegiate level. She’s also looking forward to defending her Big Ten and NCAA titles. And she says, she might even go for a masters degree before focusing on the 2024 games in Paris.