Hannah Roberts grew up in the Berrien County community of Buchanan. She will compete in BMX Freestyle, a sport characterized by flips and other tricks performed by cyclists.
This is not her first time at the Olympics. She won silver in Tokyo in 2021. She said she thinks she might have done even better if she hadn’t been so focused on winning. She said this time things will be different.
“That’s not the main focus for me. The main focus is just doing what I know I can do on my bike, and wherever that puts me, I'm gonna be grateful.”
Roberts said she’s proud to represent the country and Buchanan.
“To represent my hometown where I grew up, and the people that helped me so much in the beginning stages of my career with school and everything, it's an absolute honor.”
Roberts’ journey to the City of Light coincides with the 100th anniversary of Buchanan native runner Jackson Scholz, winning gold in the 1924 Olympics, also in Paris.
“To be able to go and be the 100-year return for Buchanan athlete is obviously extremely cool. And I'm pretty stoked.”
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
