NBC Bay Area’s Jessica Aguirre spoke to volleyball champion Kerri Walsh Jennings on Thursday, Day 13, of the Olympics. Here are some highlights of that interview:
On "Losing": Kerri Walsh Jennings, who has won three gold medals in past Olympics, said she’s not ashamed that she took third place early Wednesday morning, the first time she hasn’t won first place in her life. Her match against the Brazilian team of Agatha and Barbara marked the first time she had ever lost an Olympic match. “We didn’t lose,” she said. “We won a bronze medal.”
She added it was especially tough to even win that medal after coming off a loss to a Brazilian duo earlier during the semifinals. “We had to fight with everything we had. It was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as an athlete to overcome that devastation.”
Then the 38-year-old year old Stanford University graduate added: “I’m a big girl. I signed up for this.”
On the Future: As for what’s next, Walsh Jennings, mother of three, wouldn’t commit to playing in what would be her fifth Olympics. “For the first time in my life, I don’t have a plan. And it’s freaking me out. I don’t know if I’m going to go to the next Olympics. I don’t know if I’m going to have another baby. I think I’m done. But if we were to get pregnant again it would be the best thing ever.”
Nod to NorCal: Finally, Walsh Jennings gave a nod to the Bay Area, especially the South Bay and the Peninsula, where she received her education. “I’ve lived in SoCal for 15 years now but I am a NorCal girl through and through. From (Archbishop) Mitty (in San Jose) to Stanford, my roots are deep and strong.”
