Naples,
N.Y. –
“I'm so blessed to come from a great town like Naples,” said Meghan Musnicki. An intimate homecoming on Saturday honored the down-to-earth athlete, who was more then happy to share her medal.
“It's kind of heavy and shiny and I hope I can get one, one day,” said 11-year-old Izzy Rennoldson.
“It seems so normal to me, what I'm doing,” said Musnicki. “Then I see the kids and their eyes light up, and it makes it worth it.”
Musnicki’s journey was anything but normal. She picked up rowing at Ithaca College. It wasn't until after she graduated she started realizing she could be one of the best. She never thought of herself as an Olympian until one specific day.
"June 22, 2012,” said Musnicki, “when I was named to the team.”
It's a team that won gold in the London Olympics.
“It's like joy,” said Musnicki, when asked what it was like to win the gold. “An amazing feeling of joy.”
She shared that joy during a parade and ceremony Saturday in Naples.
“You learn to appreciate it as you get older,” said Musnicki. “If I were to live in a big city, I definitely wouldn't have had this.”
Meghan told us she is going to take some time to rest and be with family and friends. She hasn't ruled out the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
