Kerri Walsh Jennings Details Training for Olympics, Impact of Postponed Games (Exclusive)

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered the training schedules of countless athletes. That list includes Kerri Walsh Jennings, a three-time gold medal winner in beach volleyball, and her quest to win a fourth.

Jennings recently sat down with PopCulture.com for an exclusive interview about her work with Kindli, a new social media platform focusing on kindness and positivity. She also provided updates about training for the postponed Summer Olympics. Jennings explained during the interview that she originally decided to pursue a fourth gold medal after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She and her teammate, April Ross, won the bronze, which was “heartbreaking” for them.

“We lost, but we came back, and we saw with our hearts that we won,” Jennings told PopCulture. “I feel like the American spirit was on display. I had to take a moment, because truly, my family means everything to me. And in order to put yourself in a position where you can qualify and then win the Olympic games, you have to sacrifice a lot.

“The biggest sacrifice that I make is time away from my family,” she continued. “And so I had to take some time to think about that because what I do affects my family, affects my people, but I was definitely not ready to retire. That bronze pokes and prods me in the most inspiring way.”

While Jennings has continued to train for the 2020 Tokyo Games, the postponement did completely alter the schedule. She and her fellow athletes had an extra year to train and prepare for their respective competitions, which impacted them in different ways. Some viewed the postponement as a setback, but Jennings took a different approach.

“The way I look at it, it’s only positive. I know there’s some real-life, real-world effects from a delay in the Olympic Games,” Jennings explained. “A lot of Olympic athletes live under the poverty line. And so just the thought of another 12 months of trying to make it by, and working three jobs, that hurts my heart for a lot of people. I’m very blessed that I have a little more stability than that. And the fact that I already have my family, this is only a positive for me. I know other people have challenges that they have to address.

“With me, once I wrap my mind around the fact that it was a hundred percent delayed and it’s my duty in life to make the best of the cards that I’m given, I looked at it as a blessing and a wonderful challenge to stay fired up and to use this time to not be sad about it, but to be more empowered, and again, more connected to my partner. We can be the best in the world. And this year we’re using every single day to do that. To get the best out of ourselves and to collectively come together.”

This outlook about the postponement is only an example of the mindset that Jennings uses to approach her career and training each day. She explained that she has to train in three different areas to reach the top of her sport — mind, body and spirit. Jennings said that her spirit has to be full in order to endure grueling hours while her mind has to be sharp, strong and focused. Finally, her body has to be strong to endure the physicality of the sport, which she accomplishes through Pilates, weight training and beach volleyball practice.