Pan American Games: A day in the life of U.S. gymnast Zoe Miller at Santiago 2023
The standout uneven bars worker on her daily routine, new friends and which of her teammates has bad jokes from the Pan Am Athletes Village
Artistic Gymnastics
A gymnast, Taekwondoin and a sport climber walk into the Pan American Village…
What could be the perfect set up for a joke has become part of U.S. gymnast Zoe Miller’s routine during her stay at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Between winning gold medals – Miller has two, having helped Team USA to a sixth-straight women’s team gold medal Sunday before grabbing individual uneven bars gold Tuesday night – the out-going 17-year-old has made some friends.
It should be no surprise.
The Houston, Texas-resident has never been shy, having earned $200 when she won a bet with training partner Simone Biles after she ‘twerked’ following an uneven bars routine at the U.S. Classic in August.
At the Pan Ams, Miller, her teammates and new friends have enjoyed their downtime exploring the village during the day and the card game ‘Wink Assassin’ at night.
“It was my first time playing it,” Miller told Olympics.com earlier during the Games. “There’s a group of people and two King cards. If you get the King, you’re the assassin and you wink at people to ‘kill’ them but you can’t get caught. You try to frame other people.”
With gold medal expectations, Miller and her teammates have followed a routine in Santiago.
“We’ve been waking up [around 7]. Some of us go to breakfast, some of just take extra time to get ready,” she said of her typical day. “We hop on the bus like an hour before practice. We practise. Hop back on the bus, and then we’ve been going to lunch and then therapy.”
The dining hall in the Village has been a highlight says Miller, who has even expanded her horizons a bit this week.
“We had sea bass yesterday, and I’ve never had that. I absolutely loved it!” she said. “It’s really good.”
It’s a close-knit group with half the gymnasts – Miller, Jordan Chiles and Tiana Sumanasekera – training together at World Champions Centre in Houston, it’s also a laidback bunch.
“The most seriously? I would say that’s no one. Everyone has a pretty good personality. I definitely crack the jokes,” said Miller. “Tiana’s really goofy, too, but her jokes are bad. Don’t tell her I said, that. They’re bad!”