While many of her classmates were preparing for the upcoming fall semester, Sophie Hansson was boarding her international flight to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hansson, a senior majoring in business administration, is a returning Olympian from the 2016 Rio Olympics representing Sweden.
Looking at universities in the United States, Hansson’s main focus was swimming and finding a program that could provide a manageable balance between the pool and the classroom. She found that in Poole College and the NC State Swimming team.
“It takes a lot of discipline to stay on top of my academics at the same time having many hours of training each day,” said Hansson. “I could not have done it without the support from my parents.”
It was an honor for Hansson to represent her home country for a second Olympic game and she was proud of her achievements. She even made it to three Olympic swimming finals.
“It was amazing, better than Rio in 2016,” said Hansson. “The atmosphere was great even without spectators. People were extremely happy to be able to compete at the biggest stage again and Japan did a great job of hosting the games.”
The Olympics have taught Hansson to be able to deliver under the most extreme pressure and it will be a good quality to have in her future professional career.
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