How Olympic Hopeful Evy Leibfarth Manages the Pressure

Anchor: At the end of 2019, Evy Leibfarth was a fifteen year old slalom kayaker who was a write-in for the Olympic spot. Now, she is preparing for a contested Olympic trials in just two weeks. Avery Davis has more next.

Reporter: Evy Leibfarth is not your average teenager. She is currently in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she has spent the last month training at the National Whitewater Center. It is the same quarter mile stretch of whitewater she has raced every year for National Team trials since she was twelve, but for Leibfarth and her competitors, this is the race of a lifetime. Leibfarth first gained international attention in 2019, when she won first in the senior category at the Pan-American games, US National Team Trials, US National Championships, Oceanic Championships and Australian Open.

According to the Olympic selection criteria for the 2020 Olympics, Leibfarth needed to place third or above at National Team selections to go to the Olympics. After the Olympics were rescheduled due to COVID-19, the criteria changed. She now must win first overall in order to go to Tokyo. Despite the raised stakes, Leibfarth says the pressure is not getting to her.

Soundbite: “I was crushed when most World Cups and World Championships were cancelled, but having the Olympics postponed a year helped me so much. I have always needed to be in control, but having everything go on pause due to something completely out of my control gave me a lot of perspective. I was really nervous last year, but now I know that I am ready.”

Reporter: Leibfarth says her entire life has revolved around kayaking. She started whitewater kayaking at just three years old near her home in Bryson City, North Carolina, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. She spent lockdown training from home but says that last spring she heavily considered quitting because of burnout. What changed her mind was an interview she stumbled upon online.

Soundbite: “I know it’s stupid, but I saw a Laurie Hernandez interview where she said the most important thing for young athletes was just sticking with your sport. That’s what made me realize that a bad month was not worth giving up everything I have worked so hard for.”

Reporter: Leibfarth says she owes a lot to her dad, Lee Leibfarth, who has coached his daughter for her entire athletic career. The two say they have managed their relationship well, and Lee Leibfarth says he could not be more proud of his daughter, no matter the results of the upcoming Olympic trials.

Soundbite: It’s not easy for a teenager to handle the pressure Evy is under. Once she began getting big sponsorships like Redbull, I was worried it would distract her from what she really loves, which is being on the water and competing, but she has always been a focused kid. We are so proud of how far she has come.

Reporter: Evy Leibfarth has sacrificed a normal teenage life to get to where she is today, but she says she is ready for a chance at the Olympics and to prove that all of her hard work is worth it.