TOLEDO, Ohio — Perrysburg native Ewan Fisher is excited to watch his favorite swimmers take to the Seine River For the Paris Olympics.
The sport is important to Fisher, who has been swimming for more than 10 years and will be on the University of Cincinnati's club team.
"My father got me to swim lessons when I was a very young age," he said. "He loved the sport and I slowly grew a passion for it as I grew older and as I got more competitive I realized that this is the sport I was meant to do."
One of Fisher's favorite swimmers is Carson Foster, of Mason, Ohio.
"Watching him make it to the Olympic Games was a really cool experience and watching all the other swimmers too. It's going to be a good race," he said.
Fisher is not alone when it comes to local excitement for the Olympics.
"Pretty excited, it's always a treat to get to watch some of the best athletes in the world just do their thing and pull off incredible feats of athleticism," said Jack Hulbert, also from Perrysburg.
Kathy LaFountain, the aquatics director of the West Toledo YMCA, noted the value of swimming.
"There's nothing better than being able to compete against yourself everybody gets to improve their time and become the best person they can be. It's awesome for building not only skills, but confidence," she said.
Gymnastics is another sport that will have many eyes on it, including Kelly Kopp's team at the Exceleration Gymnastics Center in Toledo.
"This is the first year where we can actually have a watch party," said Kopp, the team's head coach.
She said watch parties have been difficult in the past due to time zone differences having gymnastics airing at unusual hours in the U.S.
"I'm excited to watch that with my teammates and then just experience it together and watch it in the gym," said Toledo gymnast Sammi Bernard.