Team USA sprinter Kendall Ellis still gets starstruck by her Olympic peers

Team USA sprinter Kendall Ellis spoke with FanSided live from Paris on behalf of Charmin. Ellis, you may remember, found herself stuck in a porta potty at the U.S. Olympic trials, nearly missed her run, then set a personal record in the event and qualified. "We all know my history with bathrooms before a competition…So Charmin is taking away any bathroom worries so that I can enjoy the go and focus on giving my best performance," Ellis noted.

American 400-meter champion Kendall Ellis is in an athletic class above 99.99% of her peers, showcasing her skills next week at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But that doesn't mean she doesn't occasionally get knock-kneed by that top infinitesimal percentage that ranks above her on the star power Richter Scale.

The Olympic Village will wake anyone up to the reality that they're currently living with the best of the best -- and not just because they've been woken up already by the cardboard beds (which Ellis confirmed are as advertised).

Ellis will take the spotlight next week, along with her Team USA track and field teammates, but acknowledges that every day in Paris provides the potential for a "welcome to the Olympics" moment.

"I wish I could be cool and casual, no," Ellis told FanSided. "I saw Simone Biles the other day, and I gasped and said, 'That's Simone Biles!'. Because who wouldn't gasp at seeing her? It's been really, really exciting, and [I'm] just trying to remind myself that we're all Olympians, we're all incredible athletes, but...not all of us are Simone Biles or LeBron James."

Olympic sprinter Kendall Ellis ready to show off her stuff, still awed at Simone Biles

Valid point, of course, but none of us on the outside are Ellis and Sha'Carri Richardson, either.

Team USA's journey will continue on the track in Week 2, and Ellis and Co. have taken their collective talent to heart, using the superstars around them as motivation to raise their individual games.

"I've learned ... man, to really be bold," Ellis shared, when asked about Richardson's outsized influence as a teammate. "To really stand in confidence of who you are and your talent and how excellent you are, and I love the energy that she carries."

That's, clearly, how Ellis plans to carry herself, too -- even though it can be difficult to maintain that poise when LeBron James is ahead of you in line for coffee.