BMX Racer Kamren Larsen Highlights 'Trials and Tribulations' of His Journey to Paris Olympics (Exclusive)

"A lot of hard work" has helped Larsen reach the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Kamren Larsen is ready for his Olympic podium moment.

The 24-year-old BMX racer is competing in his first Olympic Games in Paris starting on Aug. 1, and he says it's the culmination of years of commitment and challenge.

"I dreamed of coming to the Olympic Games since I was five, and to be here now is all surreal," Larsen told PEOPLE on July 25 as he was fitted for his opening ceremony uniform at Polo Ralph Lauren's athlete processing during the Team USA welcome experience in France. He adds, "I think sharing this experience with all these amazing athletes is a cool opportunity, obviously it takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice that we all kind of come together and know about."

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Larsen started BMX racing at only 5 years old and nearly two decades into the sport, he's become a Pan American Games gold medalist and two-time USA Cycling National Championships silver medalist.

As he's grown up, he's evolved as a cyclist as well — "It's been a lot of steps, as you can imagine," he says.

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"It wasn't all always up, you know, a lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of injuries, but also a lot of success," says Larsen. "I think it was just overall just a lot of hard work that paid off for me in the end."

The goal for the Summer Games is — as with most athletes — a medal, but Larsen hopes to leave France with steadfast clarity on how to better himself: "For me it's about the belief in myself and understanding that I can make it to any spot that I want to be. So I just hope I take that with me."

And while Larsen's family is in Paris for his big moment, he's hoping for an even bigger cheering squad: "The whole country!"

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.

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Read the original article on People.