A Boise State University athlete is headed to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but the teenage gymnast will not be be going for gold for the USA team.
It was only a few months back that 17-year-old Courtney McGregor qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games.
While the rest of her BSU gymnastics team members are enjoying some downtime from the regular season, McGregor's training is in full swing.
"It's getting real now," she says.
From New Zealand, the BSU student is only the third gymnast from her country to ever compete in this Olympic category. She's already at an advantage because she was in Rio a couple months ago for a test event.
Expecting mosquitoes, McGregor wore bug spray and wasn't bit once.
"I think all the other New Zealand team... quite a few got bitten but not by the Zika mosquitoes," McGregor says.
In between classes, the incoming freshman is putting in time at the gym knowing the experience of competing at an international level will go a long way in preparing her for finals week.
McGregor will be competing in the bars, beam, floor and vault events with her main goal to finish in the vault category in the top 12.
"I've always been a mentally strong athlete, which has really helped me," McGregor concludes. "The nerves, I guess everybody gets the nerves but you just sort of have to think about all the numbers that you put in at the gym."
The Rio Olympic Games will be held August 5-21.
