Emotional win for U.S. woman
Accident at worlds nearly ended career
TOKYO — On the way to her first game in the Tokyo Olympics, Kaleigh Gilchrist cried. She looked at pictures of family and friends, and thought about climbing out of that terrifying night in South Korea. And the tears juststarted falling.
Tears of joy — and gratitude.
Playing in the city where her father, Sandy, swam for Canada in the 1964 Games, Kaleigh Gilchrist made a successful return to the Olympics when she scored two goals in the United States’ opening 25-4 victory Saturday against Japan in women’swater polo.
“These Games were almost taken away from me not once but twice with the injury and the pandemic,” Gilchrist said. “So what I’ve learned through it all is just toreally embrace it.”
Gilchrist, 29, helped the U.S. team to its second consecutive gold medal in Rio, but her playing career was injeopardy after she got hurt while celebrating a world championship almost two years ago. She was on a nightclub balcony when it collapsed, killing two people and sending Gilchrist to the hospital.
She sustained some deep lacerations on her left leg and got some stitches for cuts on her left thigh. She had surgery and stayed behind in South Korea for a few days while the rest of the teamreturned home.
To get to Tokyo, Gilchrist had to navigate her way through an arduous process thattested her both mentally andphysically.
“Every moment, we called it, was a big day,” U.S. trainer Larnie Boquiren said, “because from that point forward everything wasgoing to be new. The fact that she was going to stand. The fact that was going to move her muscles. The fact that she was going to be getting in the water. Those were all milestones and big days.”
Boquiren was right by Gilchrist’s side throughout her rehab, which included everythingfrom tap dancing to Gilchrist picking up marbles with her toes and dropping them into a cup. Gilchrist, Boquiren said, made herbetter, too.
“We pushed each other,” Boquirensaid. “For myself, I grew too as a person, just by knowing her and getting to know her as a person and as afriend.”
Boquiren dubbed Gilchrist’s comeback her “Mamba Mission” in honor of another key figure for the Newport Beach, California, native. Gilchrist struck up a friendship with Kobe Bryant through their shared Olympics experience, and the former Los Angeles Lakers star stayed in touch with her while she worked on her recovery.
“After my injury, I just reached out to pick his brain and he just continued to check in on me and gave me some of his contacts,” she said.
When Bryant died in a January 2020 helicopter crash, Gilchrist mourned the loss in a social media post paying tribute to his influenceon her outlook.
“He was such a mentor forme,” she said.
If the Olympics had gone on as scheduled in 2020, Gilchrist might not have been ready.
Gilchrist, who is also an accomplished surfer, has dealt with some panic attacks since the accident in South Korea. When she started working on the mental side, she said she gained the confidence she needed to makethe team for Tokyo.
“I did three different sessions a week with different types of therapy to get better,”she said. “It still pops up here and there, of course, and that’s something I’m going to forever have to learn to work with. But I have the confidence when I feel those things that I have the tools to beable to work with them.”