ORLANDO, Fla. — The odds to become an Olympian can be mind-boggling.
Only 1.5 million people have ever experienced being an Olympian. The chances of winning a medal are even slimmer.
But for Orlando's Omari Jones, he accomplished both feats at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
For the 21-year-old's hard work, which ultimately won home a bronze medal in boxing, he was honored by the City of Orlando as the council proclaimed Aug. 27, 2024, Omari Jones Day in Orange County.
"I think it's just amazing to see where he came from and where he is now," said Kirk Malcom II, Jones' long-time mentor. "If there is a kid that you're going to celebrate, it's him."
WATCH: WPTV Reporter Kendall Hyde spoke with Jones in April 2024 as he was qualifying for 2024 Olympics
WPTV reporter Kendall Hyde caught up with Jones in Orlando after his monumental day, getting a behind-the-scenes look into his Olympic journey.
"What's it like being honored by the city you grew up in?" Hyde asked.
"After being away from home for about two and a half months, just to be home and see that welcome home, it was nothing better," Jones said.
"The Olympic experience was great, it was something like a surreal moment," said Jones, smiling as he shares what it was like to be part of an opening ceremony. "Taking pics with LeBron James and walking around with greatness. You right there and walking into the stadium at the 2024 Olympics with me fighting. It's just like my dream came true."
It's a dream that he prayed for and fought to earn.
"The first match, I was sharp," Jones said. You know they say the hardest one is the first one, and you know you get the jitters out."
Jones proceeded to win his second match, decisively advancing to the medal rounds.
"I'm hearing the rounds score by score, and I'm just like, I don't know how they are scoring the fight, but if this is how God had wanted my chapter in the Olympics to end, you know I made it this far," said Jones.
He lost a 3-2 split decision, but still earned a bronze medal in Paris, making him the only American boxer to medal.
It was a surreal moment for his parents.
"We were very excited at the time because we could tell in his face that he had come so far to medal," said Debra and Karl Jones, Omari's parents.
His welcome home in Orlando was one for the ages.
Now for the million-dollar question: is he going pro or coming back for 2028?
"I'm still weighing a lot of options if I'll be going to 2028 or taking a different route on things," Jones said.