METAMORA, Ill. – Metamora and Germantown Hills turned out in force Friday to welcome home swimmer Anna Peplowski.
The Germantown Hills native won an Olympic silver medal in Paris as a member of the U.S. 4×200 freestyle relay team.
The welcome home celebration took place at Metamora High School.
“Being able to say I’m an Olympic silver medalist is, honestly, really emotional,” Peplowski told 25 News. “Sometimes it makes me tear up because of how emotional it is.”
Peplowski said she was overwhelmed by the crowd that turned out for her homecoming celebration, which included riding in a fire truck during a caravan through town.
“It was, honestly, way more than I anticipated it would be,” Peplowski said. “Seeing all these kids out here and knowing that I have been able to make a difference on all of them and their future paths really means a lot.”
Peplowski even showed off a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her right wrist.
“When you make the Olympic team it’s tradition to get either a ring with the Olympic rings on it or a tattoo,” Peplowski explained, “so I said yes, I’ve never had a tattoo before. This is great. It was nerve wracking but something I really wanted to do to recap all the memories I made in Paris.”
Peplowski said among her highlights of being in Paris, apart from winning a silver medal, were the sightseeing and meeting Team USA gymnast Simone Biles.
“She was awesome. She was super sweet.”
Peplowski will soon be leaving home again, for her senior year at Indiana University. After that, she may consider turning pro with an eye toward the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles.
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