|
They did. They told him when they trained together, at the
Olympic Village and on the bus, until Saturday morning, when he
ran down the anchor of the three-time world champions France in
the last leg of the mixed relay to bring home the silver medal.
"Maybe they thought I was joking but I wasn't," said Pearson,
who was wholly robbed of his confidence after the rough
individual race, during which he felt awful.
The quartet - with its de facto leader Katie Zaferes, who picked
up bronze in the women's individual event earlier this week -
were part of a history-making moment at the Games, as it
introduced the mixed-gender event for the first time, with
Britain picking up the gold.
The team coalesced around Zaferes, the most senior and decorated
member of the group, as the American men had never reached an
Olympic podium in the sport. She even told Pearson that she was
more confident in the U.S. men than ever before.
"We all believed in each other and Katie, you could tell she
wasn’t just saying that," said Pearson, standing with team mates
Taylor Knibb and Kevin McDowell, who finished an impressive
sixth in his individual race.
He will return from Tokyo to the only people, perhaps, who
believed in him more than his team mates: his mother, who made
banners for the Olympics last year - before spectators were
barred from the stands and before he had even qualified for the
team.
"My mom is my number-one fan," he said.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Tokyo; Editing by Stephen Coates)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
