London 2012: Team USA fencer Tim Morehouse meets Michelle Obama
An Olympian who met Michelle Obama this morning said the visit “means a lot”.
Mrs Obama was at SportsDock at the University of East London’s Docklands campus, where a number of Team USA athletes will be training during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Among the athletes who met the First Lady was fencer Tim Morehouse, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Games in 2008.
He has previously met President Obama and given him a fencing lesson.
Tim said: “It means a lot any time you have the first family coming to see you.
“She took the time to not just speak to us but chat to us individually.”
Tim said he was touched to hear Mrs Obama tell the athletes they could be inspiring young people, and that he himself was inspired by Olympians when he was younger.
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The fencer hopes his team will win a gold medal at these Games.
He said: “We have never won a gold in the men’s fencing, but the women have, so the guys, we’re trying to close the gender gap.”
Tim, along with sportmen and women from a number of other disciplines, is training at UEL’s SportsDock. He said: “It’s fantastic. It is a great facility. We have felt at home and the staff have been tremendous supporting us.”
