Wilmington man explains what its like coaching in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The 2024 Olympic Games may be all the way in Paris, but there is still a local connection many thousands of miles away.

BMX Hall of Famer and Wilmington resident Ryan Nyquist is the USA BMX Freestyle Team Head Coach at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Nyquist, who was inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame last year, is currently in Paris hoping to lead several athletes to multiple medals.

Nyquist’s team will begin their run for gold on Tuesday, July 30th at 7:30AM ET with Women’s Park Seeding, followed by Men’s Park Seeding at 9:18AM ET. They will close out their run on Wednesday with both Women’s and Men’s Park Finals at 7:10AM ET and 8:50AM ET.

According to Nyquist, who’s first time coaching the team was back in Tokyo in 2020, said the moment they arrived was surreal.

“You’re surrounded by the worlds best athletes in so many different sports. So, while you’re in awe, you’re also totally unaware of what these people actually do. And so, you’re kind of like people watching, discipline guessing and every once in a while you get a glimpse of like Simone Biles or last night, Lebron was hanging around.”

You can find more information on how to watch Team USA here.