Watch: TCU star Hailey Van Lith records her adventures at 2024 Paris Olympics that resulted in a bronze medal
Just when fans saw every angle of Hailey Van Lith and 3x3 Team USA's Paris trip, a unique perspective came in. In its latest collaboration post, The Players Tribune and Van Lith disclosed an array of unseen footage from Team USA's 2024 Paris Olympics run.
The montage video shared on Instagram was shot on a camcorder to maintain an authentic BTS feel as Hailey Van Lith went through the Olympic Village, contests, restaurants, practices, outings and much more.
"Olympic medalist @haileyvanlith took our camcorder for a spin in Paris. 📹," The Player's Tribune quipped in the caption.
The Players' Tribune was founded by former baseball shortstop and ex-CEO of the Miami Marlins Derek Jeter. The objective behind the initiative was to bring fans closer to their favorite stars by creating exclusive first-person stories directly from the athletes. The brand works on both short and long-form stories ranging from podcasts to video series.
From some of their latest stories like the Boston Celtics' dominant 2023-24 championship run, The Players Tribune also touched on historic NBA checkpoints like Ray Allen's surprise trade from Milwaukee Bucks to Seattle SuperSonics in 2003.
Hailey Van Lith aims to return for 2028 LA Olympics
Team USA began their 3x3 Olympics tenure with a 0-3 record before climbing back to a respectable bronze medal win. Nevertheless, Hailey Van Lith aims to redeem herself by earning a spot on the 3x3 roster for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles:
"There just aren't enough words. You just feel so proud. You're just so thankful for your family and friends and everyone who cheered and supported you. If they will have me again at the next [Olympics], I'll be back," she said after winning the bronze.
One of the reasons behind missing gold was that the squad was the result of a hastier decision than other nations. Hailey Van Lith, Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard first practiced nearly two weeks before the global event began, giving them little time to build good chemistry on and off the court.
Moreover, coaches are not allowed to be on the sideline or to guide the players in a 3x3 format, making chemistry a top-most area to fulfill.