Kerri Walsh Jennings still falling in love with beach volleyball after missing first Olympics in 20 years
The eyes of the volleyball world have been on Kerri Walsh Jennings since she played in high school. She led her team – Archbishop Mitty High School in California – to three consecutive state championships from 1993-95. Walsh Jennings was the No. 1 volleyball recruit in the nation her senior year, and she won the Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year.
Twenty-five years, four Olympic medals and more than $2.6 million in winnings later, she’s unequivocally the greatest female beach volleyball player ever. But the Tokyo Olympics are the first in more than two decades without Walsh Jennings, who has become a familiar face at the Olympics since her debut at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Walsh Jennings and partner Brooke Sweat missed out on Tokyo after losing in the final qualifier for beach volleyball on June 2. The pair needed to finish third or better to have a chance at beating out Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil and taking the final spot on the U.S. beach volleyball squad. But they lost long before getting to the final rounds.
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After enduring an Olympic cycle that included three different partners and a sixth shoulder surgery, the greatest to ever take the beach volleyball court will take in the Tokyo Games from the comfort of her California home. Or will she?
“Every time I see an Olympic commercial, I kind of leave the room, which means I have some healing to do,” Walsh Jennings said. “I love the Olympics. I love watching our country compete and I’m such a fan, but my heart hurts not being there. But I’m really excited for the inspiration of it all, because I think we all need that in our life right now.”
Walsh Jennings says she’s excited to watch athletes like sprinter Allyson Felix go for gold but admits she may focus on other sports more than beach volleyball to help with the healing process. She’ll have other distractions during the Games, such as being a featured guest at the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, which premier on August 5, the same evening as the women’s beach volleyball medal rounds.
Despite not making the Olympic team, Walsh Jennings has also developed a deeper love for the sport, and it starts with her children, whom she describes as little athletes in their own rights.
“Being a parent has made my life and myself so much better in so many ways. My children are my biggest inspirations for sure,” said Walsh Jennings, whose oldest child is 12. “(I) have a lot of personal accountability. My kids are little mirrors of mine and I have them come on this process, where I’m realizing that I love the game so much more than for the winning. It is again about the pursuit. If I hated losing as much as I love winning, I would’ve retired on day one.”
And while retirement comes up in conversation, don’t count Walsh Jennings out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 42-year-old mother of three has her sights set on qualifying for the next Games, which would be her sixth Olympic appearance. Not making it to Tokyo has lit a new fire within Walsh.
“I’m on a mission of personal growth and to develop myself into the greatest human and athlete. Whatever’s firing me up, I want to develop that to be the best in me and volleyball is still the platform that allows me to keep expanding my potential. And I’ve fallen in love with that process.”
Contact Alyssa Hertel at ahertel@usatoday.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kerri Walsh Jennings misses Tokyo Olympics, isn't ready to retire
