U.S. Triathletes Explain Why They Skipped Opening Ceremony and Joke About Rooming Together in Paris (Exclusive)
Morgan Pearson and Seth Rider of the U.S. triathlon team exclusively tell PEOPLE what they've been up to in the Olympic Village
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U.S. Olympic Triathletes Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey, Kristen Kasper and Seth RiderTeam USA triathletes Morgan Pearson and Seth Rider watched the one-of-a-kind Olympic opening ceremony from their shared room in the Olympic Village, where the athletes have a few unexpected items they brought along to Paris.
Rider, 27, and Pearson, 30, tell PEOPLE they didn't join in on the unique ceremony that saw Olympic athletes sail along the rainy Seine river in Paris on Friday, July 26 because they worried that the late night would disrupt their sleep schedules ahead of the Games.
"Our race is so early in the morning on Tuesday that it would kind of, for me at least, disrupt my sleep schedule a little bit too much," Rider says. "I think we are getting planned to get back around 2:00 am if we went."
Rider says he and Pearson, who are sharing a room in the Olympic Village, "stayed and watched it on TV until about 9:30," adding, "And we stayed dry!"
Although they weren't on the Team USA boat with flagbearers Coco Gauff and LeBron James, Pearson shares that he's already snagged a photo with one of the USA basketball stars.
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LeBron James and Coco Gauff carry Team USA flags during 2024 opening ceremony"I got a picture with Anthony Edwards when they were heading out," he says. "There were so many people crowding him but he was just right there and one of the women that works for USA triathlon was right there too, and I was just like, 'Hey.' So, that's been my highlight."
As roommates in the Olympic Village, Pearson and Rider say they're learning a lot about one another. Pearson told reporters at a press conference on Saturday, July 27 that he discovered Rider "reads a lot" during their downtime.
Speaking to PEOPLE after the presser, Rider jokingly says Pearson is "also a reader with big, old-school, thousand-page books" before his laughing roomie admits, "I'm not a reader, but I'm trying to be!"
"Someone asked me how I'm keeping mentally sharp and relaxed, and I was going to talk about how I'm trying to read 10 pages a day and write in my journal every day," Pearson explains.
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The 2020 silver medalist is currently reading Fourth Wing, an adult novel by Rebecca Yarros. "It's a bit of a lady's book," he says, noting that his girlfriend, as well as female teammates Gina Sereno and Kirsten Kasper "read it and loved it."
Kasper, 32, says the novel is "one of my favorite books" after overhearing her teammate talking about the 2023 release.
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U.S. Olympic Triathletes Morgan Pearson, Taylor Spivey, Kristen Kasper and Seth RiderRelated: Simone Biles Skipped 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony for a Good Reason — Here's Why
It's just day one of the 2024 Games, but Pearson tells PEOPLE he's been exceeding his own reading expectations so far in Paris. "I got into it a little, so there have been days where I read more than 10 pages, but yeah, trying to, so we'll see."
Rider describes Pearson as a "fun" roommate and shares that he stocked their room with his favorite beverage: coffee.
"I really like coffee and I've traveled here with a whole big bag of coffee gear to make my own specialty coffee pour over," says Rider.
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