Olympic water polo star Ashleigh Johnson makes a splash as a role model for Black children

While Ashleigh Johnson is widely considered the best at her position in the world, she said she places as much importance on having an impact on kids as a role model.

Growing up in Miami, Ashleigh Johnson and her four siblings took swimming lessons as kids, primarily to ease the mind of their mother, who feared they could drown in the family pool while she was at work.

Those lessons led to falling in love with swimming, which led to joining the local Riptides swim team at nearby Cutler Ridge, which eventually led them to a unique sport for Black youths: water polo.

Johnson’s sister and three brothers all took lessons from Carroll Vaughan and thrived in the sport. But Ashleigh Johnson soared as a goalkeeper, using her spindly body, quickness and understanding of angles to become an All-American at Princeton University, where she compiled 100 victories and was the school’s all-time saves leader.

In 2016, she became the first Black athlete to make the U.S. Olympic team in water polo — and earned a gold medal. She backed it up with another gold in the Tokyo Games four years later. At 29, Johnson is widely considered the best at her position in the world.

Ashleigh Johnson was the first Black athlete to make the U.S. Olympic team in water polo, back in 2016.Mike Coppola / Getty ImagesWhile she desperately wants to win a third gold medal in Paris this summer, Johnson said just as important to her is having an impact on young people — especially in underserved communities.“The longer that you play a sport, the less it becomes about you,” Johnson said. “I remember when I was young on this national team and just starting to find my footing, I didn’t understand why it was important for me to be here. But I understand now. As a Black woman of Caribbean descent in this sport, I definitely feel a special obligation to be a light for little Black and brown girls — and boys — who may be interested in swimming and water polo. That’s really special and is a priority for me.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/ashleigh-johnson-olympics-water-polo-rcna150580

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