Ashleigh Johnson is a champion in water polo. She might guide the US to another gold medal.
For the Summer Olympics in 2024, NPR is in Paris. Visit our most recent updates to see more of our coverage from the games.
The standout goalie for the American women’s water polo team, Ashleigh Johnson, has seen the Olympics in Paris as a chance to catch up with friends from her time playing for Greek and Italian teams.
She explains, “It’s definitely like catching up with old friends.” “It’s all edge when I’m in the game, but they still have the upper hand and I do the same for them.”
Johnson undoubtedly had the upper hand at the Paris Aquatics Centre, where the United States thrashed Italy and Greece in the first round. Even still, that result wasn’t wholly unexpected.
When we first saw Johnson in late June at the team’s training pool in Long Beach, California, she was giddy with excitement following her team’s victory against Italy the previous day in an exhibition match.
Adam Krikorian, the team’s head coach, was cueing up dozens of video images so the group could watch the game together.
Johnson chuckled, “Our coach is going to show us only the bad plays.” However, it’s good. There is much work ahead of us. There is a lot for us to improve upon.
In Paris, the American women’s team is trying to hold onto a strong record. They are aiming for their fourth gold medal in Paris after winning gold in the last three Olympics in London, Rio, and Tokyo.
Coach Krikorian emphasizes that success is not a given. “I have no problem saying that. We’ve lost some of our previous talent. However, this is one of the tightest teams I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he says.
The squad has suffered a few losses, including against Spain in an Olympic qualifying match and to Hungary in an exhibition match in July. However, the group has triumphed in each of its 21 other games this season. The team’s success, according to Krikorian, is undoubtedly a result in part of Ashleigh Johnson, who is now competing in her third Olympics.
She is the first Black player for the women’s water polo team in the United States. She is also regarded by many as one of the world’s top goalkeepers. She made the most saves of any goalie in the women’s or men’s competitions at the Olympics in Tokyo, totaling 80.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete,” Krikorian remarks. “Despite her intense competitiveness, her demeanor and the enormous smile on her face would never give it away.” However, we are aware of her internal motivation to be among the greatest.
Johnson claims that having three brothers and a sister while growing up in Miami instilled in him a spirit of rivalry.
“It was always like a race to get to the best seat in the house, on the couch, watching TV first, or a race to finish what was on your plate,” she recalls. “So, the first thing we did when we started swimming was to see who could do this stroke the best. Who will be able to travel the farthest while holding that sleek rocket ship over the swimming pool?
Jamaica is the birthplace of Johnson’s parents. She didn’t match the profile of the Olympians on the women’s water polo team, who nearly all grew up and went to college in California. Instead, she was raised in Florida and attended Princeton. Johnson claims that it was a hard adjustment when she joined the team.
She claims, “I just didn’t see a pathway to be here, so I didn’t really have a dream to be here.” “I didn’t see anyone with my background or who looked like me here.” It simply appeared to be in another universe.
Following her historic arrival to the squad, Johnson was also met with high expectations from her coach and the media, who saw her as a role model for younger players who shared her appearance. And, you know, I didn’t get that? “I’m here to play water polo,” I exclaimed. Like, I really need to improve my blocking skills!
She claims that eventually, in the context of the historical exclusion of people of color from aquatic places, she came to realize more fully what her recruitment meant and the chance it gave her to contribute to the creation of a new narrative that went beyond that.
I play this game in a different way, like. In my sport, I stand out from the others not just in terms of appearance but also in terms of how I prepare and think about it. And when I was younger, those items gave me strange feelings. However, they are now my advantages. I tell many youngsters that when they tell me they don’t feel like they belong on their team, I advise them to just be yourself. You are amazing because of your diversity. Your individuality adds value, and it takes all type.
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[…] Ashleigh Johnson is a champion in water polo. She might guide the US to another gold medal. […]
[…] Ashleigh Johnson is a champion in water polo. She might guide the US to another gold medal. […]