Warren County resident Paige Zemina Northcutt dove into the race of her life at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea winning an Olympic medal for team USA.Northcutt and her teammates Mary Wayte, Laura Walker, and Dara Torres swam their way up the podium to win bronze in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay. Northcutt swam the second leg of the relay.She says the highlight of her Olympic experience was walking into the stadium during opening ceremonies.Northcutt began her swimming career on a summer swim team at age 9.“I was bored one summer with nothing to do,” said Northcutt.Her mother suggested she take up swimming, and that same year she was swimming year around. By the time she was a freshman in high school, she was getting up at 4:15 a.m. and diving into the water by 5 a.m. After practicing two hours, she would head to school.Northcutt would be back training by 3:30 p.m. to run or lift weights before another two-hour swim practice.
Medal memories