Olympic Fencer Daryl Homer: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me

Olympic sabre fencer Daryl Homer is preparing for his second Olympics, but before competing in Rio de Janeiro for the summer Games, he shared 25 fun facts about himself exclusively with Us Weekly.

 1. I don’t know how to drive.

2. As a kid I collected animal fact cards.

3. My mother used to punish me by playing National Geographic as loud as she could and sending me to bed.

4. I hate Brussels sprouts.

5. I constantly remind myself that I’m blessed to wake up and do what I love.

6. I start every morning with a green juice.

7. I worked in advertising for two and a half years at Anomaly NYC.

8. I’m a part of a collective of creatives known as Redefine Greatness.

9. I was born in the Caribbean and think I want to spend a couple of years of my adult life there.

10. I think there is some sanity in the things Kanye West says.

11. I had hoop dreams; they just never manifested.

12. I love early morning walks. My favorite locations are Central Park and the Cloisters.

13. I had a tadpole as a kid, but my mom left it in front of the window in the summer. It died.

14. I’m actually quite shy.

15. I love Korean BBQ.

16. Growing up I had an Akita, which I named after a character in Harry Potter.

17. Giving back is key. I hope to start a nonprofit one day.

18. I’m a huge mama’s boy.

19. I love to cook.

20. Somewhere deep inside of me is a hopeless romantic.

21. If I had a superpower I’d love to be able to appear and disappear at will.

22. I search the internet constantly for motivational quotes. One of my favorites is Mike Tyson‘s “Praise be to Allah” declaration.

23. I’m an obsessive planner.

24. I’m probably the least competitive person in my family.

25. I love to see my friends win.

The Rio Olympics begin August 5 and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics begin September 7 and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org.