Lindsey Horan and Mallory Swanson have come a long way in eight years.
The U.S. women’s national team pair have touched down in France alongside the rest of their teammates, with the Paris Olympics set to kick off next week.
The Colorado natives both made their Olympic debut eight years ago at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. Horan was 22 at the time, while Swanson (then Pugh) was 18 as the U.S. was stunned by Sweden in the quarterfinal.
While they were once USWNT up-and-comers, Horan and Swanson are now grizzled veterans on a team looking to win gold for the first time since 2012.
Horan is now the USWNT captain and recently earned her 150th cap, while Swanson has returned from a serious knee injury to regain her role as one of the focal points of the team’s attack.
Ahead of their flight to France, Horan posted a pair of photos on her Instagram story commemorating the journey she and her teammate have been on since their Olympic debut.
Horan was a part of the Olympic squad that won a bronze medal in 2021, while Swanson missed out on the roster. That team lost to Canada in the semifinal before rebounding to beat Australia in the third-place match.
The USWNT will face Australia once again at this Olympics, with the Matildas drawn into Group B alongside the U.S., Zambia and Germany.
The tournament kicks off on July 25 when the U.S. takes on Zambia and Australia faces Germany.
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