HOUSTON – After making history at the Olympic games in London, Houstonian Marlen Esparza says her life back at home has totally changed.
"It's crazy, cause I thought it was going to be like, ‘oh, I'm here, hey, hey,' and then go on, but it's not like that at all," Esparza said. "I walk into stores, people are taking my picture, I got home, there was cameras."
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Clutching her bronze medal, Esparza went down memory lane with Local 2 at a neighborhood where she once trained.
"I'll never experience something so great in my life, even doing it again, there's nothing like doing it the first time," she said.
Esparza was the first American female boxer to win an Olympic bout. So far, she has been the face of Cover Girl and she plans to launch a product line of apparel and cosmetics called Boxing Doll.
"That's really for young girls," she said. "So they know you can love yourself. Be who you want to be. Be girly, wear skirts, wear makeup and be beautiful, feel beautiful."
As it turns out, what a number of young girls want to do is follow in Esparza's footsteps.
"I was just talking with some children yesterday and some girl said, ‘Mr. Termite, do you know why I'm boxing?' I said ‘Why are you boxing?' and she said, ‘Marlen, I want to be just like her.'"
Esparza said she plans to continue boxing, but will take a little break before she starts training again.
"I'm happy with my bronze, it's a blessing, but I need a gold medal."