BEIJING, China — As Leif Nordgren marches in the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing Friday, he'll likely have thoughts half-a-day away at home. That's because it's also the due date for the first baby he and wife Caitlin Napoleoni are expecting together.
Nordgren, 32, is competing at his third Olympics in biathlon. Napoleoni is a meteorologist for WPTZ in Burlington, Vt.
“I've spent 12 years of my life going after this athletic dream but the whole family and baby thing really puts everything into perspective about the important things in life," Nordgren reportedly said.
Napoleoni has had to spend the last few months of the pregnancy alone as Nordgren has been away competing plus dealing with the COVID-19 restrictions in China, NBC News reported.
WPTZ said Napoleoni is hoping her husband is able to answer the phone when it's time for the bundle to arrive.
“He’s been strongly encouraged to make sure he has his phone on as loud as he can get it," Napoleoni said.
One thing she insists on is having the name picked. The couple doesn't know yet if they're having a boy or a girl.
"I don’t want to be sitting in the hospital with Leif across the world, us trying to go back and forth about this," Napoleoni said.
Nordgren was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., and graduated high school in Forest Lake, Minn.
He competed in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and 2018 Games in PyeongChang. His highest finish at the Olympics was 6th in the 2018 team relay.