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Robyne Johnson, the brand new Cal Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, will be going back to the Olympics as a coach of women’s jump and multi-events on the USA Track and Field coaching staff. She had the same position for the 2016 Rio Tokyo games for Team USA.
Congrats to Coach Johnson on being named to the Tokyo 2020 @usatf Olympic coaching staff!
— Cal XC/Track & Field (@CalTFXC) October 30, 2019
| https://t.co/iEEXZNH56n#GoBears | #EarnIt pic.twitter.com/Cs3TscmkiG
Prior to coming to Berkeley, Robyne Johnson hold the same title at Boston University. Johnson was a former Cal assistant coach from 1995 to 2003 under Erv Hunt. Obviously having her at Tokyo this summer should help Cal Track and Field with both exposure and possibly future recruiting.
Johnson joins Cal Men’s Swimming head coach Dave Durden on the growing list of Calympian (Cal Olympians) coaches for the 2020 Tokyo games.
While Cal women’s soccer alum and international superstar Alex Morgan was already pencilled in to the USWNT team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, there is now a bit of uncertainty to her availability for next August. The reason is a great news, however, as the Cal alum and her husband, Servando Carrasco, a Cal men’s soccer alum, are expecting a baby girl next April.
We are already in love and we haven’t even met her yet. Newest member of the Carrasco family, coming soon. pic.twitter.com/xeJPuDQgiS
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) October 23, 2019
Part of the big equal pay movement, where Morgan and other USWNT teammates are huge proponents of this past Women’s World Cup, is protection for athletes who want to start a family. Alex Morgan will get to keep her USWNT pay (which also covers her NWSL pay) while also get almost all the chances to make the Olympic team next summer (besides how when healthy, Alex Morgan is the top female striker in the wold).
USWNT recently named a new head coach in Vlatko Andonovski, who is tasked with leading USWNT to an Olympic gold following the Women’s World Cup win. No country has won both in consecutive years. USWNT was eliminated in the Round of 16 in the last Olympics after winning the 2015 Women’ World Cup.
Vlatko reached out to Alex Morgan to congratulate her on the baby news and US Soccer will support her as she works to make it back on the #USWNT.
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) October 28, 2019
Some info on players coming back from pregnancy, including Kate Markgraf's pregnancy discrimination dispute: https://t.co/79KJDcXFFG
If anyone can come back to form just 3+ months after giving birth, it’s going to be Alex Morgan. Morgan is expected to be a top players for USWNT for at least another world cup cycle. She might have even more motivations to win for her baby girl in the next 4-8 years of her career.
Congratulations to Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco!
GO BEARS!