Peoria Standard

US Representative Darin LaHood congratulated Germantown Hills native Anna Peplowski on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Peplowski will join the US Olympic swimming team in Paris. LaHood expressed his enthusiasm, saying he was "looking forward to cheering on Anna and all of the Team USA athletes competing in France next month!" He made this statement in a June 24 Facebook post.

"Congrats to Anna Peplowski, a graduate of Metamora High School and a native of Germantown Hills, on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team," said LaHood, U.S. Representative of Illinois's 16th congressional district (R), according to Facebook. "Looking forward to cheering on Anna and all of the Team USA athletes competing in France next month!"

In his Facebook post, LaHood shared a link to a Peoria Journal-Star article detailing Peplowski’s accomplishment. According to the article, Peplowski finished fifth in the 200 freestyle during the US Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and was nominated to a roster spot on the US swim team on June 17. She did not learn that she had secured a spot on the team until June 22.

Screenshot of US Rep. Darin LaHood's June 24 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's Facebook page

The article also notes that Peplowski will join the women’s swim team in North Carolina on June 2 for a week of training camp before traveling to Croatia and Paris.

Peplowski was one of 11 individuals added to the 2024 Paris Olympic Team on June 23. She will be eligible to compete in the women’s 4x200 meter freestyle relay, according to a news release from USA Swimming.

"Honestly, as a kid I didn't like swimming as much as I liked being there with my friends. But I fell in love with it and now, being on the Olympic team, it's a lifelong dream," said Peplowski. "I haven't gotten my mind around all of this yet," she added. "It's been crazy and I'm just trying to take it all in," she told the Peoria Journal-Star.

Congressman Darin LaHood has represented Illinois since 2015, initially serving in the 18th Congressional District from 2015-2023; after redistricting, he now represents the people of the 16th District. His political experience includes four years in the state senate from 2011-2015. He served as a state and federal prosecutor for more than nine years and worked for the US Department of Justice as an Assistant US Attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LaHood holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loras College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois-Chicago John Marshall Law School. He resides in Peoria with his wife, according to his official biography.