Evy Leibfarth lives her “crazy dreams” at her homecoming
Paddler Evy Leibfarth travels to the 2024 Summer Olympics
The 20-year-old from Bryson City was the first American woman to qualify for three paddling events at the Olympic Games.
BRYSON CITY – Since she was six years old, Evy Leibfarth’s goal has always been to win an Olympic medal.
Fourteen years later, after finishing third in the canoe slalom at the Paris Games, Leibfarth is living her wildest dreams.
On Wednesday, Leibfarth finally arrived back home in Bryson City, where she was greeted by a parade and streets filled with fans waving American flags and carrying signs celebrating her achievement at a homecoming event in her honor.
A group of about 15 women traveled from Atlanta to Bryson City just to meet her. Another woman came from Kentucky to see the celebration and tell Leibfarth how proud she was.
Leibfarth, with the bronze medal hanging around his neck, was happy to take photos and sign autographs.
As she marched through downtown and waved to crowds along the streets of Bryson City, Leibfarth showed her appreciation for the community she grew up in.
Two weeks after winning the bronze medal and just one day after returning to North Carolina from Paris, Leibfarth is still processing what she accomplished.
“I always knew I could do it, but I didn’t think it would happen,” Leibfarth said. “It seemed like one of those crazy, out-of-this-world dreams.”
Medal win at the Olympics “surreal” for Evy and Lee Leibfarth
Until the last run, Leibfarth was far from certain of a medal.
To even reach the final, the first of her career, Leibfarth barely made the cut – she finished 12th in her semi-final heat and thus secured the last place among the finalists.
As the first paddler to compete in the final, her only goal was to set a good time. She said it helped that she had no pressure from other times. She posted a time of 109.95, including a 2-second penalty for touching gate 14 during her run.
With this time, Leibfarth remained on the podium until the last run. In third place was Gabriela Satkova, one of Leibfarth’s favorite paddlers, who had taken first place in the semifinals.
“I think I blacked out the whole time,” Leibfarth said. “I was sitting there with the girls who had already definitely won a medal, and they were holding my hand and telling me everything was going to be OK.”
However, Satkova made some mistakes in her run. Leibfarth took home a bronze medal.
Leibfarth lost control, she said, and was immediately able to celebrate with her father and coach Lee, which was an emotional moment for both of them.
“It was surreal,” Lee said. “I still don’t have the words for it. We had to wait a long time after Evy left.”
Leibfarth inspires the next generation of paddlers
Leibfarth grew up at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and has trained with former Olympians since she was a teenager. She plans to give back to a new generation and hopes the sport will continue to grow.
The NOC will help grow the sport of paddling with a new scholarship in 2025. The Evy Leibfarth Scholarship will be awarded to an inspirational paddler to help cover the costs of getting started in the sport, announced Kristin Kastelic, NOC marketing director, during the celebration in Bryson City.
The NOC has been represented by 23 Olympians since canoe slalom debuted at the 1972 Olympic Games. Joe Jacobi and Scott Strasbaugh won gold medals in 1992. Leibfarth is the first woman in the center’s history to win a medal and the first American woman to win a canoe slalom medal since 2004, the year Leibfarth was born.
Although the NOC has not yet seen a large influx of new paddlers, Kastelic expects more to sign up soon.
“It’s in the inspiration phase right now, but we definitely want to get more people on the water and open up new employment opportunities for them,” Kastelic said.
JOURNEY TO BRONZE: Evy Leibfarth from Bryson City has the experience needed to shine at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
Leibfarth will quickly get back to training, although Lee said she deserves some time off. She will soon travel to Italy to compete in the Canoe Slalom World Cup Sept. 12-15, and she already has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It’s special to have that home crowd for your home country,” Leibfarth said. “I’m really excited to have that and show people kayaking in the U.S.”
Evan Gerike is the Asheville Citizen Times’ high school sports reporter. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.