With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics primarily held behind closed doors, Neenah’s Maddie Wanamaker is excited to be headed back to her second-straight Olympics with Team USA.
However, it's not just because her family and friends will allowed to be in attendance.
While training at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs last February, Maddie hit a roadblock on her journey to Paris that nearly knocked her off course.
“I woke up and my arm was like all purple and red," Wanamaker remembered.
Doctors discovered a blood clot in her left shoulder. She was ultimately diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which is a condition that occurs when blood vessels or nerves are compressed.
While it's considered a rare condition, it's not uncommon with rowers.
“Basically your thoracic outlet is where all of your nerves and blood vessels run through to your arm, so rowing had kind of like pinched the space and cut off the circulation," she explained.
Wanamaker was sent home for surgery to remove the blood clot. However, to prevent them from happening again in the future, doctors also removed her first rib.
"Luckily our PT had dealt with it before and the surgeon had also done this surgery on rowers, so I was able to get back into rowing in April (2023)," she shared.
Wanamaker's first race back was three months later for the 2023 World Rowing Cup II in Varese, Italy. She and her teammates won gold in the women's four.
Seeking redemption in Paris for the 2024 Olympics is what fueled her to a swift recovery.
“Tokyo was the first time in modern rowing history that the U.S. had zero medals," she said.
In Tokyo, Wanamaker finished seventh in the women's four.
She said her biggest takeaway from 2021 was needing to work smarter and not harder. Wanamaker shared that this Olympic training period has been more science-based, prioritizing both technique and recovery.
"I have really high hopes for USA Rowing," she stated. "My goal is to win gold, and I think we have a lot of other boats that are poised to be able to fulfill that goal.”
Wanamaker leaves for Italy on July 5 to do a few weeks of acclimation before officially heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
Rowing will take place July 27 through Aug. 3 at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, which is located on the outskirts of eastern Paris in the Vaires-Torcy.
A full schedule can be found here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
