Chester County Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Returns Home

By Trang Do

WEST GROVE, PA (CBS) -- Fresh off of winning a gold medal in Rio, Team USA swimmer Cierra Runge returned to the place where she learned how to swim, the Jennersville YMCA in West Grove, Chester County.

"When I was four years old, I actually was watching the 2000 Sydney games and I was glued to the TV when swimming came on," Runge said.

At that moment, Runge asked her parents to put her in swim classes.

"I just kept going, kind of hitting each rung of the levels in swimming and ultimately got to the Olympics, which was my end goal," she said.

Sixteen years later, she not only reached her goal, she crushed it, winning a gold medal as part of the Women's 4 x 200 freestyle relay team at the Summer Olympics in Rio.

"When you watch your child just have dreams and work really hard their whole entire life and make really hard choices along the way, to actually see what she worked for come true, it's just amazing, and of course we're just crazy proud," said Diane Runge, Cierra's mother.

Monday, Runge returned to the YMCA where she got her start: the place where 18 of her swim records still stand, and where she's inspiring the next generation of swimmers.

"I have Cierra Runge's swimming cap that she wore in the Olympics and she also signed it," said Sarah McKeller, 8, who won the cap in a raffle.

"I want to be just like Cierra," said Meghan Waldron, 13. "She's a really big role model."

"To have kids come out here and look up to me like that is an absolutely amazing feeling," Runge said.

Runge is not taking any time off. She heads to the University of Wisconsin this weekend to start her sophomore year.

Next month, she'll start training for the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020.