Ashleigh Johnson

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Ashleigh Elizabeth Johnson (born September 12, 1994) is an American water polo player of Ethnikos Piraeus team, who considered by many [1] [2] [3] [4] to be the best goalkeeper in the world. She was part of the American national team that won the gold medal at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. [5] [6] In 2016, she became the first African-American woman to make the US Olympic team in water polo. She was part of the gold-medal winning 2016 and 2020 U.S. women's water polo Olympic teams. [7] [8]

Contents

Early life

Johnson was raised by her mother, Donna Johnson. Johnson grew up with four siblings (three brothers and one sister), all of whom play water polo. Her brothers are Blake, Julius and William. Her younger sister Chelsea, is a 2 Meter player and played with Johnson at Princeton. Chelsea graduated from Princeton in 2018 and continues to be involved with water polo in Miami. [9] [10] Ashleigh Johnson graduated from Princeton in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. [11]

About her decision to play goalie in water polo, Johnson shared with Princeton Alumni Weekly her goalie origins trace back to her sister Chelsea:

I was just copying her. I wasn't choosing to go in the goal because it was anything that appealed to me in particular. [12]

Water polo career

High school

Johnson was raised in Miami, Florida and attended Ransom Everglades School for high school. At Ransom Everglades, she was a four-year letter winner and starter on her school's team guiding them to three consecutive Florida State Championships. She also earned All-Dade honors throughout career, while also earning all-county honors twice in swimming. [9]

As a senior, Johnson committed to play water polo at Princeton University.

Collegiate career

In her first year she was named Third-Team All American, while earning Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2014, and Second Team as a junior in 2015. [9]

2016 Summer Olympics

Johnson was the first African-American woman to make the US Olympic water polo team when she made the team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. [13] The geographical diversity Johnson brought to the team, she was the only team member not from California, was highlighted by SwimSwam before the Olympic Games. [14] Her age, 21 years old, and with her sub-Saharan African ancestry, she identifies as Black, were highlighted by Sports Illustrated leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games. [15] She helped the team win the gold medal at the Olympic Games. [13]

Orizzonte Catania, Italy

From January 2018 she has been hired by the Orizzonte Catania, the most titled club in Europe in recent times. She lives and trains in Italy for Orizzonte Catania during the season, training in the United States in the off-season. [16]

Ethnikos Piraeus, Greece

For the 2021-22 season, she is the goalkeeper of Greek Ethnikos Piraeus, a club with big tradition in Greek waterpolo. [17] On March 30, she won the Women's LEN Trophy with Ethnikos Piraeus. That was the second time Ethnikos has won the title, thus becoming the Greek team with the most in the competition. Meanwhile, that was Johnson's first European club competition title.

Awards

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Ashleigh Johnson (27): Goalkeeper, U.S. Women's National Water Polo Team". Forbes. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Team USA's water polo goalkeeper, Ashleigh Johnson, talks Olympics". FanSided. July 9, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Ashleigh Johnson Olympics exclusive Q&A". olympics.com.
  4. ↑ "Total player awards 2021". total-waterpolo.com.
  5. ↑ "Meet The Goalie Changing The Face Of USA Water Polo" . Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  6. ↑ "BCN 2015 USA Women's Water Polo Team" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Robertson, Linda (August 19, 2016). "Rio Olympics: Miami's Ashleigh Johnson leads U.S. to water polo gold". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  8. ↑ Sheinin, Dave (August 15, 2016). "Ashleigh Johnson makes a different kind of history in the pool" . Retrieved January 5, 2017– via washingtonpost.com.
  9. 1 2 3 "Ashleigh Johnson - Women's Water Polo - Princeton University Athletics". goprincetontigers.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Chelsea Johnson - Women's Water Polo - Princeton University Athletics". goprincetontigers.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. ↑ "'I Choose to Do More.' Olympian Ashleigh Johnson Embraces Her Role As Water Polo Pioneer". Time. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Feil, Justin (March 22, 2017). "Women's Water Polo: An Inseparable Pair". Princeton Alumni Weekly . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Ashleigh Johnson was the first Black athlete to become a member of the U.S. Olympic Women's Water Polo Team". usopm.com. January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ Lepesant, Anne (June 17, 2016). "Interview With World's Top Goalkeeper: Team USA's Ashleigh Johnson". SwimSwam . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ Chavez, Chris (July 29, 2016). "USA eyes double gold in water polo at Rio Olympics". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Randazzo, Michael (January 5, 2020). "Di Fulvio, Johnson Are Swimming World's Top Men's and Women's Water Polo Players for 2019". Swimming World . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Princeton University Alumna Ashleigh Johnson to Join Greek Ethnikos Following 2021 Olympic Games". Collegiate Water Polo Association. June 25, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Johnson Named Swimming World Magazine Female Water Polo Player of the Year". Princeton University . January 5, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Ashleigh Johnson Named Swimming World Magazine's Female Water Polo Player Of The Year". USA Water Polo . January 5, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  20. ↑ Brien, Taylor (January 4, 2017). "Swimming World Presents the 2016 Aquatic Athletes of the Year". Swimming World . Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Ashleigh Johnson Named Swimming World's Female Water Polo Player Of The Year For 2016". USA Water Polo . January 12, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ Sutherland, James (December 2, 2021). "Simone Manuel Named To Forbes 30 Under 30 Sports Class Of 2022". SwimSwam . Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Dominant USA water polo women squeeze home against Hungary". World Aquatics. July 2, 2022.
  24. ↑ "USA claims eighth women's water polo crown". World Aquatics. February 16, 2024.
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