Amid Heading to Shanghai, Olympic Archer Miranda Leek is Enjoying the College Life

While other 2012 Olympians are chatting with President Barack Obama and starring in their own reality shows, West Des Moines native Miranda Leek is enjoying a quiet life as a college student at Texas A&M University.

Leek, a 2011 graduate of Dowling Catholic High School, competed for the U.S. archery team in the London Olympics last year. Now, she's busy with another challenge – studying molecular and cellular biology, the Des Moines Register reported. 

Leek was recently featured by the Register, the article painting a picture of Leek's life post-London Olympics.

The months following the London Games increased the fame-fortune index of mainstream stars such as Ryan Lochte, Usain Bolt and West Des Moines-trained gymnast Gabrielle Douglas. Leek, however, sprinted toward the relatively normal world of being a college student, rather than the nearest television camera...

“Being an Olympian, it does change things,” Leek said. “I’ve had a few really strange experiences. At freshman orientation, I sat down in a big ol’ lecture hall. At the end, you can go up and ask individual questions, like ‘Should I take this class or that class?’ An advisor looked at me and said, ‘I saw you on TV.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so weird.’”

For now, though, she’s knee-deep in studying and finals in a modest dorm room, the article said.

“It’s about the size of a shoebox. My roommate and I each have lofted beds, with desks underneath,” Leek said. “The room is kind of boring, honestly. I did buy a rug, though, from Wal-Mart, since we have hard-tiled floors. It’s red and white, like A&M colors.

“The biggest thing, I’ve got a Betta (fish) named Finley. He’s not just a fish. He’s the most awesome fish. He swims around like he knows it.”

Unlike other college students, however, Leek boarded a plane Friday for a World Cup archery event in Shanghai where she was set to compete and celebrate her 20th birthday, the article said.

What comes after college and Shanghai? The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Miranda Leek wanted a gold medal at the London Olympics, but she wants Rio more, she said at a fall sports rally last August.

How much more?

“Really, really badly,” Leek said.

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