Remarks Honoring the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams

The President. Hey! Thank you. I'm the fan in chief! [Laughter]

It is great to have Team U.S.A. here at the White House. And I want to thank Michelle for not teasing me too much, which is usually what she does in her introductions. It is true, I was pretty jealous of the fact that she had a chance to go to London.

But like millions of Americans, I had almost as much fun just following you guys from here and what you did. I usually work pretty late, but I've mastered the DVR—[Laughter]—so I was able to catch a little bit of everything. It was a great way to end the day, watching you guys do things that I did not think were humanly possible.

So every morning when Michelle and I would work out, we'd talk about, did you see that thing?

The First Lady. Yes, it was good.

The President. That was unbelievable. [Laughter] And——

The First Lady. It's true.

The President. ——and then I'd jog on the treadmill. [Laughter] But I was inspired to watch you guys even though I couldn't do what you do. I was inspired a little: to run a little bit faster watching Tyson Gay and lift a little more after watching Holley Mangold or do a few more crunches after watching Michael Phelps and the other swimmers. [Laughter] Somehow, it didn't work quite on me, but—[Laughter]. And wheelchair rugby, I'm just glad you guys aren't taking me out. [Laughter]

But most importantly, what you guys did was inspire us. You made us proud. And as President, you made me especially proud to see how you conducted yourself on a world stage. You could not have been better ambassadors and better representatives for the United States and what we stand for.

And one of the great things about watching our Olympics is we are a portrait of what this country is all about: people from every walk of life, every background, every race, every faith. It sends a message to the world about what makes America special. It speaks to the character of this group, how you guys carried yourselves. And it's even more impressive when you think about the obstacles that many of you have had to overcome not just to succeed at the Games, but to get there in the first place.

Thirteen years ago, Kari Miller was serving in the Army when her car was hit by a drunk driver. She lost both her legs. She went on to college and learned how to play sitting volleyball. Today, she is the proud owner of two silver medals.

Lance Brooks is here. Leading up to the Olympic Games, he had a job pouring concrete for 12 hours a day and still managed to put in 2 more hours of training in the discus.

Katie Ledecky may have been swimming in London, but she still had to finish the summer reading assignments for her high school English class. [Laughter] Where's Katie? Yes, there she is. She brought some of her classmates here today.

And then, there's Manteo Mitchell. Where is he? Now, this has to be one of my favorite stories of the whole Olympics—breaks his shin bone halfway through his lap on the 4x400 meter relay, but he finishes anyway in 46 seconds and helps the U.S. qualify for the final. Right here. Unbelievable.

So all of you have stories of determination and perseverance. All of you made incredible sacrifices to get here.

About a month ago, I was in Colorado Springs. We stopped by the Olympic Training Center, and I met a bunch of athletes, including some of the amazing Paralympians that were just about to head out. I got to meet some of the bobsledders who were working out together for the next Winter Olympics, and it was just amazing to see not only how hard people were training, but also to hear how much you guys get to eat during training—[Laughter]—which I was very impressed with.

So I hope that all of you guys get some well-deserved time off over the next few months. But I know that pretty soon, many of you will be back in the gym or on the track or in the pool, thinking about Rio, because the Olympics is not just about what happens on the big stage in front of the cameras when the world is watching. It's about what's happening when nobody is watching. And that's what really counts.

As Olympians and Paralympians, you guys all find the strength to keep pushing on good days and bad days, because you believe that no matter where we come from or no matter what hand we've been dealt in life, with enough effort, there is no limit to how far we can go.

That's what sets all of you apart. That's what sets America apart. We celebrate individual effort, but we also know that together, we can do incredible things that we couldn't accomplish on our own.

So thank you for being such great role models, especially for our young people. We could not be prouder of you. You gave us a summer that we will never forget. It is a great honor to welcome you home. And I have told that—I've been told that I—because of my schedule, I'm not allowed to shake everybody's hands, but I am going to break the rule and try to shake as many as I can before I get dragged out of here.

So God bless you. Marine Band, let's hit the music! I love this!