"I don't know how many people really knew who I was before the Olympics and that's the fun thing of the Olympics - you get to know someone who captures your heart, hopefully"
About this Quote
Then she pivots to what the Olympics uniquely sells: discovery as entertainment. Not medals, not even excellence, but a narrative arc that makes viewers feel like they found someone. "That’s the fun thing" reframes global pressure as a kind of communal game, softening the brutal stakes of elite competition into something warmer and shareable. The key phrase is "captures your heart". It’s emotional, not technical; she’s naming the true currency of televised sport, where audience attachment often outruns the scoreboard.
The hopeful tag at the end - "hopefully" - is doing heavy lifting. It signals awareness that athletes are packaged: edited backstories, slow-motion hero shots, clean moral storylines. Yamaguchi’s subtext is that Olympic fame is conditional and fleeting, granted by a public that wants to fall for someone, then move on. She’s not complaining; she’s describing the bargain with clear-eyed grace.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Yamaguchi, Kristi. (2026, January 16). I don't know how many people really knew who I was before the Olympics and that's the fun thing of the Olympics - you get to know someone who captures your heart, hopefully. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-know-how-many-people-really-knew-who-i-was-92908/
Chicago Style
Yamaguchi, Kristi. "I don't know how many people really knew who I was before the Olympics and that's the fun thing of the Olympics - you get to know someone who captures your heart, hopefully." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-know-how-many-people-really-knew-who-i-was-92908/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't know how many people really knew who I was before the Olympics and that's the fun thing of the Olympics - you get to know someone who captures your heart, hopefully." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-know-how-many-people-really-knew-who-i-was-92908/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







