GREENSBORO, N.C. — Some of the world's best swimmers are in Greensboro this week as the Aquatic cCnter is hosting the Toyota U.S. Open through Saturday.
It's a homecoming for one Page High School grad who is back at the GAC.
It's not the first time Reid Mikuta is competing in a U.S. Open in Greensboro but he said it means more this time around as he enters his second season swimming for Auburn University.
"It's really cool to dive back into the water at the GAC. A lot of memories came back from swimming there every day," Mikuta said.
He trained and raced there during his high school days.
"I think I'll have a little bit of an advantage because I'm comfortable racing there," Mikuta said.
The Toyota U.S. Open is an event that attracts Olympic-level talent like gold medalist Katie Ledecky and people from all over the world.
"When I was swimming today, I saw a lot of people wearing South Korea caps and I've never seen that before in my life of swimming," Mikuta said.
City leaders said this event brings about 2,000 people to the city along with its restaurants and hotels.
"It generates about 6,000 room nights which translates into about $2.3 million of economic impact for the City of Greensboro," Henri Fourrier said.
Fourrier is the President of the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The GAC has hosted several USA Swimming and NCAA events over the years. it's also slated to host the Paralympic Swimming Championships later this month.
"Greensboro is not really known for its being a big city. There's a lot of meets that happen all over the country in big cities and it's really cool to see that happening in Greensboro," Mikuta said.
He is most excited about having his parents back in the stands they've cheered him on from so many times.
"It feels like back in the old days, when they used to get to watch everything I did. It adds a little bit of pressure because I want to make them proud," Mikuta said.
No matter what, he's got an entire city behind him.