(NEXSTAR) – Two-time Olympic water polo champion Ashleigh Johnson is opening up about what it’s like to be the first Black woman to represent U.S. water polo at the Olympic Games. The 29-year-old from Miami, Florida has earned the title as one of the best goalkeepers in the sport.
“I try to connect with young Black girls and just women of color in our sport because there aren’t a lot of us and that’s slowly changing and doing what I can to make this space a good space for us to be, I think is gonna make a difference,” Johnson said.
Johnson has taken home two gold medals over her Olympic career. One in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the other in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Johnson said there’s a “renaissance” currently happening in women’s sports.
“I know a win for any of us, is a win for us all,” Johnson said. “It just says that Olympic women’s sports are growing, they’re engaging, that people want to watch them, that the women who are part of them are invested and they’re great.”
The U.S. Women’s and Men’s Teams qualified for Paris at the 2023 Pan American Games. The final rosters are set to be announced on June 18.
