With each stroke, Kristi Wagner is making incremental gains. That’s what the Olympian looks for every morning on Saratoga Lake.

“It’s funny like, coming in fifth sounds really great, and I feel like in a lot of ways, I was pleased with that,” she said. “But you’re so close to a medal, so it’s definitely driving me.”

While coming up just short of the podium in the double sculls at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Wagner sees the progress. After not qualifying for the 2016 Olympics, the Yale graduate joined Arion – an elite rowing program of the Saratoga Rowing Association.

“I just think it’s really cool to push yourself to be as good as you possibly can be,” Wagner said. “I don’t think that’s something that people get the chance to do very often.”

Recently, Wagner pushed herself to a silver medal in the double at the World Rowing Cup II. It’s a good check point as she now prepares for the World Rowing Championships in Serbia in September with teammate Lauren O’Connor and head coach Eric Catalano.

“It’s definitely been a step up in intensity of training and definitely every day, you got to bring your A game,” O’Connor said.

She, Wagner and potentially a few other Arion rowers will be tasked with qualifying for Team USA boat classes at the World Champions for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“One of the sayings we like to use around here is the rising tide rises all boats,” said Catalano, who is also the executive director of the Saratoga Rowing Association. “So as the whole program continues to get better, everybody rises up with it.”

As the morning’s workout wrapped up, Wagner heads off to Princeton next and then Italy to train with the national team. It's a strenuous road back to the Olympics, but another opportunity of a lifetime.

“Little me would never of dreamed of that. So I just feel like it’s really awesome,” Wagner said. “And it would be awesome to get an Olympic medal.”