Shannon Says… Dear Athletes

Inside Gymnastics will be on the scene in Paris for the XXXIII Olympiad bringing you all of the action from the Games! Make sure you’re following our social media pages (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Threads) for all the latest and greatest in what promises to be the most epic and most-watched Olympic Games ever.

• Dates: July 27 – August 5
• Venue: Bercy Arena
• TV channels: NBC, USA Network, E!
• Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app

TV Broadcasts + Streaming Info

In a letter to the athletes preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, we asked 7-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller what she would advise as they prepare for a journey of lifetime…

Dear Athletes,

Paris 2024 is here! This year is going to be a whirlwind between the lead up camps and competitions, nailing down final routines, perfecting the details and preparing both mentally and physically to make the team and compete at this historic event! It’s been nearly 30 years since my last Olympics…audible gasp. Hopefully, I am not only older but also a little wiser, or at the very least gained some perspective. I’ve won the gold, I’ve also fallen flat (on my backside in front of the world, many times over). It’s not about the end. It’s about the journey. Repeat this to yourself!

Everything you have done up to this point, everything you will do this summer forces you to utilize some amazing life lessons; you set goals and you’ve worked every day to achieve them. You’ve relied on and contributed to your team. You’ve worked through adversity with resiliency and a “get back up” attitude. When you hit that moment when you don’t know if you can keep going, think about how far you’ve come, how much you’ve overcome to get to this point.  

When you feel uncertain, when the negative thoughts or worries begin to creep in, the only question you need to ask yourself is this: “Did I do the work?” When you have done the work, in the gym each day, there is no need to worry. As my mother said to me the night before my final Olympic balance beam routine, “You’ve done the work. You can walk out there confident that you have done everything you could possibly do up to this moment to get it right. Whatever happens next is going to happen, but you can always be proud of the work you put in.”

As you move through the events leading up to and through the Olympic Games, be proud of the work you put in, and don’t forget to enjoy each moment along the way. Take in the sites, sounds, the roar of the fans! Both your teammates and competitors will likely become lifelong friends with you, those bonds forged through the training schedules and rigors of elite level sports. What you take away from this year of competition, and sport in general, can propel you into your next endeavor and open up opportunities you never imagined. This is the moment. This is when those life lessons come to fruition. 

When you walk into that arena for competition, feel the nerves, feel the excitement and the significance but know that you are not in this alone. Between your coaches, parents, friends and community you have an incredible support system no matter what happens on the day of competition. We will all be cheering you on! In the words of my personal coach that he shared before every competition, “You’ve done the work. Now, go out there and have some fun!”

For more:

Bring on Brazil! Andrade and Team Brazil eye gold

2024 Olympics Schedule + How to Watch

For Paul Juda, the title of ‘Olympian’ is everything

Simone Biles Leads Team USA Redemption Tour

Frederick Richard and Brody Malone Lead Team USA Men

The Queen Is In the Building

Carly Patterson’s New Role with Team USA

Road to Paris Gets Real – Olympic Draw

5 Key Takeaways from Winter Cup

Photo credits: Lloyd Smith and Ricardo Bufolin for Inside Gymnastics

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