MUNSTER | Olympic gold came to the Region Thursday night, years ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

Janet Evans, who won four gold and one silver swimming medals in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, met with members of the Munster High School athletic programs at the school's auditorium. She brought her medals for show and tell, and she brought her personal message to share with the crowd of 300 student-athletes.

"Too many of our young people feel the pressure of winning at all costs," Evans said. "I focus on telling them my story, and how the pressure to win became detrimental for me."

Evans was the American darling of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, winning three gold medals and setting three world records in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events.

When Evans won silver in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (400-meter free), she became disappointed and despondent.

"I had won three gold medals in 1988, broke three world records," Evans said. "I was supposed to repeat, to break my own records. The expectations were that I would do better. When I ended up in second in the 400 free, it was almost considered a failure."

For more on this story, read Friday's edition of The Times.