ISANTI, Minn. — Amid chants of pride for country and their hometown hero, Olympic gymnast Grace McCallum, hundreds danced to the rhythm of their own beat as the city welcomed its first ever Olympic medalist home.
"I, Jeff Johnson, the Mayor of the City of Isanti do hereby proclaim that August 7th, 2021 shall be observed as Grace McCallum Day," said Mayor Johnson, as he read a proclamation in her honor.
At just 18, McCallum, who won silver in the women’s artistic team all-around was joined by family and former coaches while reflecting on her time in Tokyo.
"Just bonding with the team was really fun and we were all so close and we couldn’t really go anywhere so I mean we spent all our time together," said McCallum.
For those on the home front, it was a moment in time stirring up a sense of pride not just for their country, but for the town they’ve all grown to know and love.
"She put Isanti County on the map," said Isanti County resident Nicol Hoffman.
While potentially mapping her way back to another shot at Olympic gold in the near future.
"I'm thinking about coming back for the 2024 but we’ll see…we’ll see how my body’s doing and how I'm doing just mentally," said McCallum.
So while we all wait to see what’s in store for 2024…
"You guys have been such a huge part of my journey and seeing how much you guys support me back home is just really amazing and I feel so loved so thank you," said McCallum.
McCallum is headed to the University of Utah later this month, where she'll be joining the university's gymnastics team, and plans to study kinesiology.