Twin Cities Gymnast Maggie Nichols Preparing For Rio

CHAMPLIN, Minn. (WCCO) -- We are just seven weeks away from the start of the Rio Olympics. One Minnesota athlete is about to become a worldwide gymnastics star.

Maggie Nichols of Little Canada -- a graduate of Roseville High School -- is practically a shoo-in to be picked for Team USA next month at Olympic Trials. She's now preparing at her gym in Champlin.

Before you even get in the door at Twin City Twisters, a big banner over the door makes clear whose gym it is, and how much pride it has in its homegrown star.

"It's a huge impact on just the kids around her," coach Steve Hafeman said. "They look at her in amazement, and to have someone with so much talent to be in the gym nearby, it's such an inspiration to so many kids."

Maggie Nichols has been training at the gym for the last 12 years, and lately that training has ramped up big time as the Olympics draw near.

"The intensity level right now is just so high, and we have so many expectations for ourselves, and so many goals and dreams we want to achieve," she said. "Since the Olympics is so close, it crosses our minds all the time, and in the gym, we're just, every turn, we kind of think about it like, 'What if this is my Olympic routine? I need to make it perfect.'"

She has an equally intense amount of pride in representing the United States, and even more so in representing Minnesota.

"I want people to know that I'm from Minnesota, and it's just cool to represent Minnesota, but also the U.S.," she said. "It's just a huge honor."

Her coaches are honored, too.

"There's definitely just that Minnesota pride," Hafeman said. "One of ours has made it."

"That's the thing about Nichols' road to Rio. She's not just from Minnesota -- she wasn't just born here and then moved away to chase her dreams when her career started to take off. She stayed here, in school at Roseville High School, in training here at the same gym. She is -- and her talent is -- truly a product of Minnesota.

"A lot of gymnasts that feel like they're going to go to the elite level, sometimes move to gyms that have trained other Olympic gymnasts, but I felt growing up that my coaches here at Twin City Twisters could really help me get to that point, and I knew that they knew all the knowledge of gymnastics and I really trusted them, and they really motivated me to be the best that I could and I knew that I could go very far with them," Nichols said.

Hafeman says he's proud Nichols is representing the state.

"It's that feeling like, you've raised something in your state that can be successful. And it's not like somebody came over from another state and then we took off from there, it's all started in Roseville and then came over here, so it's huge," he said. "Having someone who's doing what she's doing, is creating a culture here and in the state, making kids believe. Because when you're a little kid, and you start the sport of gymnastics, it's like, 'I want to be an Olympian.' And now we have an example, like, it can actually happen. Right here. And so, I think that's pretty awesome."

Nichols couldn't agree more. And can't wait to experience the moment she arrives in Rio...

"Words probably can't even describe that feeling," she said. "Such an honor that all my hard work throughout my whole career is paying off, and I'll just be so honored to represent the U.S. and Minnesota and I just want to do my best and help Team USA."