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Rio Rewind: Catching Up with Olympian Abby Johnston
10/5/2016 1:06:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. – Since returning from Rio, Olympic diver Abby Johnston hasn't seen her life slow down. The third-year Duke medical student is in the midst of clinical rotations at the Duke Hospital and planning her wedding with Duke football graduate assistant coach Sam McGrath. GoDuke.com and members of the local media caught up with Johnston prior to last Saturday's game at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Q: Has it been mostly school and wedding planning since you've returned from Rio?
Abby Johnston: It's medical school, wedding planning. I'm doing my clinical rotations in the hospital. Thinking back on Rio, it almost feels like a lifetime ago because it's only been six weeks but I've been living in the hospital since then. And then spending my free time thinking about my wedding, making a lot of progress on those plans. It's a busy time.
Q: What are your reflections in thinking back to your performance in the Olympics?
Johnston: I'm really proud of how I competed and how I represented myself. I think I was really calm throughout the entire competition. Doing three days in a row of diving is actually really physically demanding. I would have liked to do better in the finals on the last day, but I missed one dive out of 15 over three days. To me, that's pretty incredible. Had I not missed that dive, I probably would have been closer to the top six, but I have no regrets.
Q: What were the differences between competing this time around and in London four years ago?
Johnston: It was a different mindset competing as an individual rather than as a synchronized pair. I think I always pigeon-holed myself as a synchronized diver and I doubted whether I could be internationally competitive as an individual diver. My performance throughout the Olympics showed that I belonged there. But it did take a lot of prep work from my coach, Nunzio Esposto, and my family encouraging me and telling me I could do it. That helped me believe in myself.
Q: What were your thoughts just before your final dive?
Johnston: It was very surreal to think that this is my last dive. I haven't officially retired because I want to just reflect on my experience and make sure that I feel like I'm done with my career. But it was such a great moment because my family was there, my fiancée was there and my coach was on the pool deck and gave me a big hug afterward. I just felt really loved and appreciated by everyone that helped me get to this point.
Q: What was your favorite part about walking in the Opening Ceremonies?
Johnston: My favorite part about the Opening Ceremonies is that, just beforehand, before we walk into the tunnel as a team, there's this nervous excitement and people around us were chanting 'U-S-A!' And then all of a sudden, collectively, the whole team goes 'U-S-A!' And that was really awesome. It's really hard to put into words how incredible it is to be surrounded by elite athletes from your country and to be representing the Red, White and Blue.
Q: How did it feel to contribute to an outstanding showing by female American athletes in Rio?
Johnston: It was a really tremendous showing for the female athletes of Team USA. We just went to the White House this past week and President Obama was congratulating us for having the largest female team and the most medal haul of any women's team and how that exceeded a lot of other countries' entire medal count. And just that what we did down there really resonated with the United States and there are a lot of young girls looking up to us. For me, that really means a lot and I was really proud to be a part of that.
Q: Can you talk about the support system you had down in Rio?
Johnston: I've had a tremendous amount of support from Duke Athletics and I can't thank them enough. They really helped me get to where I was and make a first and second Olympics. And my family as well – they've made so many sacrifices to travel the world and not do some of their responsibilities at home in order to be there for me. I really appreciate that. And I'm really thankful that Coach Cutcliffe let Sam miss two days of camp to fly down to Rio, watch me dive and fly right back. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was really great to have him there.
Q: What comes next? Are you leaving the door open for Tokyo?
Johnston: I haven't completely shut the door. When I came back from the London Olympics, I was gung-ho, I want to get to Rio, I want to go. It was a bit of a roller coaster from there. I was hurt and I was like, 'I don't want to do this anymore.' And then I was like, maybe I do want to do it. And so I just kind of went on this up and down ride of whether or not I wanted to go for another Olympics. I'm trying not to put myself through that emotional roller coaster and just evaluate how I'm doing in school and if I miss jumping in the pool or if I'm ready to start the next chapter.
Realistically in a sport like diving, you need to make a really solid two-year run. So if I take a break or just dabble in competitions for the next two years, I could really ramp it back up in time for Toyko, which fits with my school schedule. Whether or not I'll do that is to be determined. I was watching the Closing Ceremonies from home and how they pass off the torch and all the Toyko stuff, and I was like, 'This is going to be a really nice Olympics. Maybe I want to go.' But right now I'm not sure.
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