As world-class athletes, Sha’Carri Richardson, Jordan Chiles, and Kristie Mewie have their eyes set on gold — gold medals, that is. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are on the horizon — taking place from July 26 to August 11 — and as such, the athletes have been intensifying their preparations in hopes of showcasing their hard work on the global stage.
They’ve certainly got a lot of talent to showcase. Richardson is one of the fastest runners, not just in the United States but worldwide, having won the 100-meter sprint title in the 2023 World Championships. That year, she earned two additional medals: gold in the women’s 4×100-meter relay and bronze in the solo 200-meter. She’s also the undefeated champion of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships, having run 10.75 seconds and breaking the NCAA Division I record in the women’s 100-meter.
Chiles gained acclaim when she represented the United States gymnastics team in 2021 at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she won a silver medal in the team event. She also took home three medals at the 2022 World Championships, including gold for the team and two individual silver medals on vault and floor exercise.
As for Mewis, she competed with the U.S. Women’s National Team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they won bronze following their match against Australia.
But before Paris, they each have to earn a spot on the squad. With Team USA finalizing its Olympics roster later this month (trials are running from June 15 to June 30), the track phenomenon (Richardson), gymnastics sensation (Chiles), and soccer star (Mewis) are in the midst of intense day-to-day training regimens.
And it’s not just about practicing their respective sports; each athlete is also dedicated to taking care of their whole selves, which is why the trio is currently partnered with Danone to promote the yogurt brand’s “Nourish Your Hustle” campaign — encouraging others to incorporate nutritious snacks into healthy daily routines, whatever that may look like.
In an exclusive interview with Her Campus, the three athletes chat about their training regimens, how they’re each practicing self-care as 2024 Summer Olympics hopefuls, and what makes these long practice days all worth it in the end.
Their training routines are no joke.
A lot of rigorous training goes into Chiles, Mewis, and Richardson’s preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics — especially during trial season, which determines which athletes will represent their country on the world stage.
For these three athletes, their days are filled with workouts and intense training regimens that are pretty strict, often take up multiple hours of their days, and go beyond their typical workouts.
When it comes to preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Chiles’ days are nonstop, with her training twice a day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday” and one practice on Thursday and Saturday. But her secret to keeping up her eye on the prize while sticking her landings during her rigorous training schedule? Baking self-care into her daily routine.
“What I typically do is wake up with enough time to do my skincare. I like to be a little bougie in the morning, so I might take a nice long bath,” Chiles says. “I also nap in between practice. I’ve got to get my rest as much as I can.”
Similarly to Chiles, soccer player Mewis also has a busy training schedule. But due to a sustained lower leg injury, Mewis’ days often feel 10 times longer. “I’ll have [an] assessment and do some treatment, then I’ll go into the gym, [and] I’ll have some cardio after. My afternoon [and] evening is just filled with fueling my body with the best things, [and] doing as much recovery as possible,” Mewis says. But first and foremost:“I have to have breakfast,” she says. “I wake up so hangry. I have to have some protein, some bread, [or] I’ll grab an Activia Probiotic Dailies.”
Richardson also thinks the best part of any training routine begins with an early morning head start. “My daily regimen goes based on just being up early,” Richardson says. “That way I can be alert and awake for the day, energized rather than just climbing out of the bed and then starting the day.”
From there: “I’m probably training for about four to five hours a day. And after that, recovery is super important, like getting massages, taking ice baths, [getting in] hot tubs — definitely getting some time to decompress,” she says. “I like to sit and talk to my family. I watch a show here and there. And then getting into bed no later than 9:00, 10:00. That’s a typical day for me.”
ALL 3 ATHLETES TAKE Take Their Downtime SERIOUSLY, Too
Training rigorously to stay in peak condition for the Olympics can be stressful and exhausting, so taking care of oneself is crucial to an athlete’s success. Mewis, Chiles, and Richardson all agree that taking care of yourself is a must at all times — whether that’s through nutritious diets or their favorite leisurely activities.
Mewis refers to this as “Kristie Time,” which is time dedicated to anything she wants to do, which often includes some online shopping. “I obviously buy way too much stuff, but I think just scrolling and looking at cute outfits, purchasing all this stuff I don’t need, it just gives me almost like a calm in my busy life,” she says. “It helps me zone out a bit.”
Chiles agrees. “I’m a shopper,” she says. But she also has plenty of other ways she separates her sport from her daily life. “Whether it’s a nap, drawing, playing video games, or watching Netflix, whatever it is, I can give my mind a different perspective on what life is.”
Richardson reiterates the importance of family time. “I think that’s something I do consistently on a day-to-day basis that always brings me back [and is] another sign that my day’s about to end. I always talk to [family] before I’m going to bed,” she says.
Following Their Dreams Is Worth All The Work.
If Chiles and Mewis qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, this will be their second Olympic Games, having previously competed at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Both athletes are excited to fully experience the atmosphere of the Olympics, which is something they’re looking forward to the most since the structures and protocols at the 2020 Olympics were altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “My biggest thing is being able to actually interact with the other athletes,” Chiles says. “During Tokyo, the gymnasts weren’t in the [Olympic Village] due to COVID-19 protocols.”
Mewis agrees. “Obviously, there weren’t any fans [at the 2020 Olympics]. We didn’t get to speak to any of the other athletes,” she says. “So that was really tough, and I missed out on that sort of experience because everyone says that the best part is bonding with all these other amazing athletes, and you have just the most amazing fans from your country there.”
If Richardson qualifies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, it will be her Olympic debut. Richardson has already proven her skill set, having won the world title in the 100m in 2023 with a time of 10.65 and most recently winning the Pre Fontaine Classic in the 100m with a time of 10.83 in May 2024.
Her eagerness for the competition stems from her desire to improve as an athlete. “The main aspect of competition I’m looking forward to is just seeing how I can prepare myself to go out there and to actually make the Olympic team,” she says, “I’m looking forward to seeing how I can better myself from now til then to prepare for that moment and then to see my hard work pay off when it comes to when I actually compete.”
As the trio of world-class champions continue to prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, they share an affinity for offering advice to the next generation of athletes. “Believe in the power of your dreams. Your dreams are very powerful when it comes to doing anything,” Chiles says. “Try to push to a limit that you may not expect yourself to push to, and just have fun.”
Mewis emphasizes this point by encouraging aspiring athletes to stay present in the moment and take each step as it comes. “I think with things like this, you build up so much throughout your career, and then you start thinking ahead to things that haven’t even happened yet, and you’re not even living as to where you are right now,” she says. “Just try to take it day by day and moment by moment and really just be present and soak it all in.”
Finally, Richardson shares the importance of having confidence in yourself. “[There’s] a level of confidence and commitment to your hard work, to the point where your confidence won’t be shaken [nor] your mindset. You just know you’re making the right choices for yourself.”