EXCLUSIVEInside the Olympic Village: Sprinter Kendall Ellis Tells All on Team USA's Cardboard Beds and 'College Dorm-Like' Living Spaces
Kendall Ellis sat down for an exclusive chat with OK! while competing as a sprinter on Team USA in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Dying to know what the life of an athlete staying in the Olympic Village at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris looks like? OK! has you covered.
Team USA sprinter Kendall Ellis tells all, as she sits down for exclusive interview with OK! while in the French capital competing for gold in the women's 400m race.
Kendall Ellis is competing in Paris for her second Olympic games.
One shocking aspect of an Olympic athlete's experience in Paris involves the top American sports prospects' sleeping on cardboard beds.
"That is true," Ellis confirms of the surprising sleeping arrangements while promoting her partnership with Charmin — the life-saving toilet paper brand the track and field star decided to work with after getting "trapped in a porta potty" for several minutes during the Oregon semi-finals earlier this year.
The Olympic sprinter told OK! about the 'cardboard beds athletes were given in the Olympic village.
Fortunately, Ellis was able to escape the transportable bathroom and win the race. She went on to come in first place in the finals, which secured her spot in the 2024 Olympic Games.
"We all know my history with bathrooms before a competition, so Charmin is taking away any bathroom worries so that I can enjoy the go and focus on giving my best performance," the talented athlete explains, calling the somewhat funny ordeal a "really unenjoyable experience."
After almost missing her qualifying race, Ellis surely breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the Olympic Village at the end of July. Plus, she promises the cardboard beds aren't as awful as they sound.
"They gave us mattress toppers, which really softened it up. It's not as horrible as people are imagining — like as if it's just a regular cardboard box that they found on the side of the street," she says with a laugh.
Kendall Ellis said athletes recieved mattress toppers to make the beds more bearable.
As for actually traveling from the United States to Paris, Ellis "flew separately," noting it isn't required to "travel with the team."
"It's kind of just what you wanna do," she says. "If you want to travel [together], you can. If you don't want to, then that's perfectly fine."
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The same goes for staying in Olympic Village during the global, multi-sport competition.
"It's not required. It's up to you. But, I wanted the full experience, so I am in the village," Ellis dishes.
Staying in the Olympic Village isn't a requirement for athletes, however, many like to for the 'experience.
The 28-year-old describes the athletes' living spaces as "super, super, super college dorm like. There's four bedrooms within a suite, and then two bathrooms in each suite. Your roommate is from the same sport as you. And then luckily, for Team USA, we got to choose our roommate."
Ellis' experience has been completely different from when she competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"I've been able to explore, which has been really nice. [Last time], we couldn't leave the village and it was a lot of isolation and separation," she recalls. "I just keep turning my head and I'm like, 'Wow, I'm here and I get to see so many other athletes and interact with them this time.'"
"It's kind of just a shock to be able to leave the village," Ellis admits. "I'm glad I'm getting to have this full experience."
