It's one thing to be the parent of an Olympian. But the parent of a gold medal Olympian? That's some stress.
Mary Thompson-Mielke's daughter is Jordan Thompson, a member of the USA Volleyball team that won Gold in Tokyo.
But in 2020, because of COVID, she wasn't able to attend the Games.
"It was heartbreaking to have to watch her on TV and not be there, especially considering that she sustained an injury," explains Thompson-Mielke. "And so we weren't able to be there to support her for that, so it was kind of a double whammy."
Four years later, Mary and her husband are flying to Paris to see their daughter.
"We're so excited to be able to see her live in person on the world stage," she said. "We're super excited to be able to see her contribute and play and have her be able to look over and see us there supporting her."
Although Mary has been Paris before, this will be her first Olympic Games. They hope to arrive in time to see Jordan and Team USA face France on Sunday, their next match. So far, Team USA has lost to China and defeated Serbia in pool play.
"Her success, it's all her," Thompson-Mielke told WCCO Radio. "I mean, we supported her growing up but she really was the one who put in all the hard work, all of the long hours and loving the sport, living for the sport. So it's just been an exciting ride for us."
Jordan graduated from Edina High School and the athletic prowess runs in the family. Her uncle was the late, great Viking defensive end Chris Doleman.