by Amy Modesti
Do you know what it takes to be an Olympian? Emma White does.
Tuesday, December 21, White spoke to students inside the Tamarac High School District Auditorium about her Olympic career. The 24-year-old, originally from Duanesburg, now residing in Jersey City, NJ, took up cycling at nine years old. Inspired by her older brother and family at their cycling outings, White made it her mission to become a cyclist.
Upon becoming a cyclist, she majored in Computer Science at Union College. It was during her college years that she trained under famed coach Kristen Armstrong, and raised her cycling skills to new heights, even taking part in the 2014 and 2015 Junior World Championships.
Eventually, White made the switch to track cycling and joined the USA Olympic Team Pursuit. In 2018, she trained in track cycling for a year at the Colorado Springs Olympic training facility with other team members. In 2019, she competed in the World Championships in Warsaw, Poland and lost. In February 2020, White won the World Championship in Berlin, Germany. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she became a bronze medalist for track cycling, competing against the United Kingdom.
Although she has retired from track cycling, the love of racing remains in her heart. White accepted a computer science job in Troy and will work remotely from NJ. Instead of showing off her bronze medal she left at home, she showed off her podium outfit that was worn at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
