By Julie Marrinucci
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Medfield native and 25-year-old Olympic speedskater Julie Letai remembers standing in front of the TV as a 10-year-old, watching the 2010 Olympic opening ceremonies and “feeling in my soul that I had to be there,” she said.
With grit, determination, and an off-the-scale work ethic, Julie made that dream and so much more come true, competing with her team at both the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and at the recently-held winter 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy.
Her skating journey began at two years old, watching her two older siblings in the rink - and wanting to be just like them.
“I would have tantrums, according to my mom, throwing myself on the ground wanting to be out there, too,” Julie explained. “I started with those strap-on blades that you put on the bottom of snowboots. And once i was more competent, I started figure-skating lessons.”
For Julie, going further in the sport meant competitions, requiring lots of pink, purple, tutus, and sparkle.
“At the time,” she says, laughing, “I was a huge tomboy, and there was absolutely no way I was doing that!”
The turning point came after speed skating drills at practice.
“I had so much fun, so I knew my path was definitely going in a different direction,” she said.
Julie’s mom had heard about the Bay State Speed Skating Club in nearby Walpole and brought the then 7-year-old to explore it.
“What was just something fun for me to do when I had time,” Julie explained, “turned into a passion that I would spend every free minute doing.”
For this Olympian, that passion, drive, and self-described intensity has paid off over her almost 20-year speedskating career, to include a World Championship medal and several World Cup medals. In a recent interview with the Hometown Weekly, Julie shares her Olympic experience, what drives her, lessons learned, how important hometown support has been, and more.
On her Olympic experiences
“Beijing was known as the Covid Olympics, so that already made it different from any other. It was also my first one so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. It was definitely overwhelming. I didn’t know how anything worked. It was definitely stressful with daily Covid tests and people in hazmat suits everywhere. And when we would actually compete, there were barely any people in the stands which was strange. My family couldn’t be there either. The one positive was how much community there was in the Olympic Village because you couldn’t go anywhere else. We had such a shared experience and became super close.”
“In Milan, the best thing was having my family there in the stands. It was so impactful being on the ice before my race and hearing my family’s voices break through all the noise. I didn’t expect that to hit me the way it did. Really energizing.
“This time, I was also super amped up and always want to do my best, but I felt more passive and relaxed in the days in between races. Being there was enough, which is the mindset I’ve been working really hard on. If something doesn’t go well, it’s okay, My life isn’t going to change. I’m just grateful for this whole experience.”
On her Medfield community
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve gotten so much support from my town. My peers and friends were always excited about my progress; they always made me feel like it was this cool thing. And my teachers (Julie attended Blake Middle School and Medfield High School) were super supportive. They worked with me to get my schoolwork done if I missed something due to training or competition. My coaches during high school were the same, cultivating my passion, cheering me on. I still get texts from some of my teachers and coaches to this day. I know that so may people from home got together to watch the games - whether they knew me or not. It’s so great and so humbling. They’ve let me now that I’ve made my hometown proud. I’m super grateful. This community is really special and I’ll have that connection forever.”
On lessons learned along the way
“I’m definitely intense and put so much pressure on myself in the past to be the best. I know that if I put my mind to it, I can do anything. I’ve proven that to myself. But as I’ve grown older in the sport, I’ve learned and (am still learning) to relax a bit more and simply enjoy the sport and all that comes with it. It’s been hard work and there are always peaks and valleys in anything. My advice to any kid out there dreaming of being the best in anything … arts, sports, whatever … do it for the right reason … do it because you’re passionate about it, because you love it. You know that saying if you do something you love, you won’t work a day in your life. It’s absolutely true!”
On her future endeavors
“Soon I’ll be headed out with the Tour of Olympians, where we’ll be at day-camps across the country to build excitement about the Olympics and keep kids inspired and motivated. My long-term career goal is to go into the healthcare field, supporting people and communities to live healthier lifestyles. In this next year, I’ll be exploring every opportunity that comes my way. Of course, if you ask my mom and dad (Jean and Tony Letai of Medfield), they would probably say that if I set my mind to become president of the United States, I could make it happen!”
Julie Letai will be visiting Boston with the Tour of Olympians March 21-22 for Short Track Nationals at the Skating Club of Boston.
