**Angie Coe’s Unexpected Olympic Journey: From Disappointment to Transformation**
For Texas sophomore swimmer Angie Coe, competing in the 2024 Olympics was never on her radar—until just months before the games. It wasn’t until after the NCAA Championships that she approached her coach, Carol Capitani, with an audacious goal: she wanted to represent Taiwan at the Olympics.
In the Olympic qualifier, Coe shattered a national record and outswam the Taiwanese athlete who was expected to secure the spot. But Taiwan’s swimming federation had other plans. They ruled her performance invalid, saying she hadn’t met the official Olympic qualifying standard.
Coe’s heart sank as she returned to the U.S. disappointed but still proud of what she had accomplished. But just moments after stepping off the plane in San Francisco, she received a call that would change her life: the Chinese Taipei Swimming Association had decided to send her to Paris after all.
The journey to the Olympics, however, wasn’t smooth sailing. Coe swam strong in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing second in her heat. But a disqualification for an illegal butterfly kick dashed her hopes of advancing. It was a bitter pill to swallow—but in the end, the experience left Coe with more than just a race result.
“I’m not the same person I was before the Olympics,” she admitted. “I’m not the same swimmer.”
Unlike many Olympians who take a break after the games, Coe had no such luxury. The summer passed in a blur of training, leaving her physically and mentally drained as she returned to the start of the school year. While her teammates jumped back into the swing of things, Coe found herself struggling—not just with exhaustion, but with processing the life-changing experience she had just lived through.
That’s when she turned to her coaches, Capitani and associate head coach Mitch Dalton, for guidance. They shared wisdom that struck a chord with Coe: “When the storm comes at you, you shouldn’t run away from it, because eventually, it’s going to get you.”
For Coe, the Texas swim program’s team culture became a refreshing and necessary anchor. Coming from Taiwan, where individual success often takes precedence, and from her previous club in Illinois, Coe hadn’t experienced the deep sense of unity and camaraderie she found at Texas. Being part of a team where everyone is aligned and working toward the same goals felt like a homecoming for her.
More importantly, Coe found something she hadn’t expected: a sense of self-worth that went beyond her performance in the pool. In a sport where athletes can sometimes feel like commodities, the Texas coaching staff made her feel valued as a person first. “It makes me feel like I’m a human here, like I’m actually somebody that they care about, and not just a swimmer,” Coe said.
It’s a feeling that has transformed not just how she views herself as an athlete, but how she moves forward in her journey—both in the water and in life.
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