Family, friends and teammates gathered on Saturday night to watch Cardinal Gibbons High School senior Claire Curzan.
PEOPLE OUT HERE INCLUDING HER HEAD COACH JONAH TURNER WERE UNABLE TOWATCH. WE WERE ALL OUT HERE AND NOT ABLE TO SEE IT AIR. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT CLAIRE DID NOT QUALIFY? >> THE INTERVIEWS WENT A LITTLE LONGER. THEY WENT TO COMMERCIAL BREAK. CAME BACK. AND WE NOTICED IT WAS ON HEAT TWO AND THE TWO AMERICANS CLAIRE AND TORI WERE BOTH IN HEAT ONE SO WE REALIZED WHAT WAS GOING ON. CHECKED THE PHONES. I SAW WHAT SHE SWAM. SHE DID A GREAT JOB. SHE WENT FASTER THAN THIS MORNING AND HER GOAL WAS TO MAKE THE OLYMPIC TEAM AND THAT IS WHAT SHE DID. SHE MADE US ALL SO PROUD. SHE HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB. WE ARE SO PROUD OF HER. >> SHE PLACED 10th THIS MORNING TO GET TO THIS. SHE HAD TO SWIM PRETTY WELL THIS MORNING. WERE YOU UP EARLY WATCHING THAT? IT AIR AT THE 6:00 HOUR. >> I SET THE ALARM CLOCK FOR 6:15. SHE SWAM AT 6:30. BUT I WOKE UP AT 5:45 WITHOUT AN ALARM CLOCK I WAS SO ANXIOUS. I WAS EXCITE TODAY SEE HER SCORE IN THE TOP 16 AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO TRY TO MAKE THE TOP EIGHT. SO PROUD OF HER. SHE SWAM BETTER TONIGHT. SOME OF THE OTHER GIRLS SWAM A LITTLE FASTER BUT THREE YEARS, SHE HAS PARIS COMING UP. THEN LATER IN THE WEEK, THE 400 MEDLEY RELAYS AND THE MIXED MEDLEY RELAYS. SHE MIGHT HAVE A SHOT TO SWIM IN ONE OF THOSE. SO WE'LL SEE. >> YOU HAVE BEEN THE HEAD COACH HERE FOR 20 YEARS. YOU COACHED A LOT OF SWIMMERS. WHERE DOES CLAIRE STACK UP AGAINST THE REST? HOW SPECIAL IS SHE? >> I HAVE COACHED A LOT OF KIDS. CLAIRE HAS A UNIQUE TALENT. YOU KNOW SHE IS AN ELITE ATHLETE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, SHE IS EXTREMELY HUMBLE. AND YOU WOULDN'T PICK HER OUT OF A CROWD BECAUSE SHE FITS IN WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. SHE IS NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE THAT WANTS THE ATTENTION OR A SPOTLIGHT. SHE WANTS TO BE A GOOD TEAMMATE. >> IS IT STILL IMPORTANT TO YOU TO WATCH THE RACE IN. >> YEAH. I WILL GO FIND HER ON THE STREAM. SHE IS AN EXCITING PERSON TO WATCH. SHE GOES AFTER IT. YOU KNOW. SHE HAS AMAZING UNDERWATER KICKS. TO SEE HER SWIM AGAINST THE ELITE COMPETITION IS JUST SOMETHING REALLY INCREDIBLE. SO, TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. AT LEAST WATCH IT IF IT IS DELAYED, IMPORTANT. >> VERY GOOD, THANKS FOR TALKING TO US. >> Reporter: CLAIRE CURZAN IS DISQUALIFIED FROM THE 100-METER BUTTERFLY IN TOKYO BUT HAS A TON OF SUPPORT HERE AT CARDINAL GIBBONS. BACK TO YOU. >> THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
