Devery Karz is Representing Oregon State in the 2016 Olympics

Devery Karz is Oregon State’s lone olympian in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is representing the United States on the rowing team and competing in the Women’s lightweight double sculls.

She is set to compete with teammate Kate Bertko in their first heat Monday morning, at 8:10 am eastern time.

Devery Karz’s journey to the 2016 Olympics was anything but usual. She didn’t pick up the sport of rowing until she came to Oregon State as a freshman in 2007. The Utah native was a cross-country and track and field athlete in high school and her athleticism translated onto the water.

She quickly became one of Oregon State’s top rowers and her rise took her to the national-team level, where she starred with the U.S. U-23 team and won a silver medal in 2009 at the World Championships.

Devery Karz unfortunately broke her elbow and missed her senior year of rowing at Oregon State. She minored in Mandarin and decided to move to China and teach English and move on from the sport of rowing.

She watched the 2012 London Olympics at home and saw friends and familiar faces competing and knew that she had to make a comeback. She began training again and in 2014 she went all in. She quit her full-time job to exclusively focus on training and trying to represent the U.S. team in the Rio Olympics.

Karz’s hard work and resilience has allowed her to realize her dream of competing in the Olympics. But she’s not yet satisfied, her ultimate goal is to win a medal.