Black Olympic Athletes Reveal What Brings Them Joy
Black Olympic Athletes Reveal What Brings Them Joy, and It's Not Always a Gold Medal
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POPSUGAR: What brings you joy?
Ashleigh Johnson: The things that bring me the most joy in life are spending quality time with my loved ones and being able to set and reach the goals that I set for myself.
PS: What was the happiest moment of your athletic career?
AJ: The happiest moment of my athletic career was looking into the stands after we had won our gold-medal match in Rio de Janeiro, and seeing my whole family there together celebrating our victory. The time and support that all of our families and friends in this process isn't always recognised, but knowing how rarely my family particular gets to travel across the world and be there for that actual moment made it very special for me.
PS: What is your happiest memory outside of your athletic achievements?
AJ: The happiest moment for me outside of my athletic career was graduating from Princeton. Yet another moment where I was surrounded by family and friends, but this moment stands out because it was preceded by one of my hardest years. Returning to school after the Olympic Games and trying to refocus my energy and goals having reached one of the biggest goals of my life.
It was really hard for me personally to motivate myself throughout that year in a lot of ways, and having my sister with me at school during that year played a huge role in helping me push through it.