Saturday, August 20 was the Women's Triathlon in Rio. A Triathlon at the Olympics requires you to swim 1500 meters, then bike 25 miles, and finish off with a 6.2 mile run. So why am I writing about the Triathlon at the 2016 Olympics? I will tell you why. A Hampstead, Maryland native happened to have participated in the event, she may not have metaled but to come from a small town with about 6,400 people is quite an accomplishment. Her name is Katie Zaferes, but I knew her as Katie Hursey. She taught me how to swim when I was about five years old. To think that my swimming instructor has gone on to compete at the Olympics is amazing.

Zaferes is a graduate of North Carroll High in Hampstead and went on to Syracuse where she had an amazing Cross Country career. I know that the town of Hampstead is proud of her and all that she has accomplished.

Zaferes placed eighteenth at the Olympics with a time of 2:00:55. This being her first Olympics, I'd say that that is a good accomplishment. It gives her motivation to improve upon. She was only four minutes and forty-four seconds behind the American gold medalist. That is not much to improve upon in retrospect. She now has a little over three and a half years to train before Tokyo 2020, where I believe that we will see a dramatic improvement in her time and it is most certainly possible a medal will be placed around her neck. Hell maybe even she will get to here The Star Spangled Banner. Our future is not set in stone, it is for us to mold and I believe that she can mold her's in a way where she will accomplish her dream of being an Olympic medalist.

Congrats Katie on getting to the Olympics and being able to compete! Hampstead is proud of you and we are always going to be here cheering you on!