In a display of community support that's about as heartwarming as it gets without tipping into sappy, Mount De Sales Academy in Catonsville opened its doors wide to bid farewell to two of its most distinguished alumni. Isabella and Juliette Whittaker, the sisters who are literally to run onto the world's biggest sporting stage, received a send-off from their high school rich with love and support, as reported by WMAR-2 News.
Isabella, 22, is set to together compete in the women’s 4x400-meter track race, while Juliette, 20, has her eyes on the prize in the women's 800-meter track race at the rapidly approaching 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. According to a WBALTV report, the sisters previously envisioned their Olympic moment in the water, not on the track. "It's always been a dream. I think we joke because we used to be swimmers, so we always thought of it as swimming. But now it's in track, which is even better," said Isabella during the heart-felt event.
The sisterly send-off included not just a crowd, but personalized gifts and a special video message featuring the sisters' friends, school staff, students, and other athletes. "It's quite overwhelming," said Jill Pellicoro, Juliette and Isabella's mother. "It's just so nice that they get to do it together and just be as happy for both, you know, and they both deserve it so much", as detailed by WBALTV. The Olympics swing into full gear on July 26th, with track and field events kicking off on August 1st.
