Kellie Delka reflects on her Olympic journey and prepares for a medal run as she heads to her second Games.
Kellie Delka of Team Puerto Rico slides during the Women’s Skeleton heats on day seven of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Sliding Centre on February 11, 2022 in Yanqing, China. Kellie Delka doesn’t always lead with the fact that she is an Olympian now heading to her second Games.
The 37-year-old skeleton athlete, who competes internationally for Puerto Rico, said the title still catches her off guard at times, even years after making her Olympic debut.“Sometimes I forget that I am,” Delka said. “It’s never the first thing I talk about unless somebody brings it up.” As Delka prepares for another competitive season, she said her mindset has shifted since her first Olympic cycle four years ago. What once felt overwhelming now feels calm and familiar.“I feel pretty calm,” she said. “That first Olympic season was way more nerve-wracking because I wasn’t really sure going into it.” While the Olympics themselves were memorable, Delka said she discovered that the journey mattered more than the destination. “The Olympics were amazing, but I realized the thing I enjoyed the most was the four years leading up to it,” she said. “I’ve been really trying to slow it down and enjoy every moment before I get to the games.”That perspective hasn’t diminished her competitive drive. Delka said her goal this season is to put herself in a position to contend for a medal. “I really want to be able to say, ‘I can win a medal,’ and have that confidence going into it,” she said. Skeleton, a sport where athletes race headfirst down an icy track at highway speeds, is often an individual pursuit. Delka said the transition from team sports to competing alone was difficult early in her career.Over time, she learned to see that solitude as a strength. “It took me years to figure it out,” Delka said. “Now I look at it like, ‘This is a huge flex — look what I can do by myself.’”“You don’t need all the fancy things to make it,” she said. “If you have the heart and the perseverance, you can go as far as you want.” She said what keeps her motivated is the singular experience of the sport itself — standing alone at the top of the track, moments before a run.Delka began competing for Puerto Rico nearly eight years ago after being introduced to leaders in the island’s winter sports federation, which was working to grow cold-weather athletics despite the tropical climate.Training, however, reflects her roots as a self-described “summer beach girl.” Much of her preparation takes place outdoors, combining track work, gym sessions and time near the ocean, a contrast that hasn’t gone unnoticed by fellow athletes. “They’re like, ‘Oh, Kellie is here — she looks like she just came off an island,’” Delka said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, I did.’” Despite representing Puerto Rico, Delka said she remains deeply connected to North Texas, where she spent a significant portion of her athletic career. “I’ll always feel connected to North Texas,” she said. “It was a huge part of my life as an athlete, and I miss it every day.” As for how much longer she will compete, Delka said she isn’t ready to put a timeline on her career — even with another Olympic cycle potentially on the horizon. “This would probably be a great year to go out, after the games,” she said. “But I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. It’s hard to want to stop.”
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