With athlete movements restricted due to protocols, Hooper likely won’t get to make a lot of use of his Japanese language skills, which he describes as, “nothing too crazy.” He can understand a little more than he can speak, he says, but mentioned the word ganbatte which means “good luck.” My grandma is actually, I guess she’s my local fan here.” I’m representing Team USA here, but I do love Japanese culture and I have a lot of respect for the people here. “… So I’m very familiar with the Japanese culture and I’m in love with it as well.

“I’ve been coming to Japan for a long time, since I was a young kid, since I can honestly remember,” Hooper said. Grandma Tomiko will be watching from her retirement home, Hooper said, while Mimi is back in the U.S. Hooper also can take comfort in feeling somewhat at home in Japan, a place where his grandmother still lives and he spent significant time in growing up. “So it’s a great experience and great knowing that we have so many fans and supporters and family back home supporting Team USA so it definitely keeps me going.” “We travel with our family as in the water polo guys around me, they’re my family in the pool and I know that each and every one of us has our family back home rooting on,” Hooper said from Tokyo, where he and the U.S. go for gold.įortunately for Hooper, he feels the support from family both far and near and knows he can lean on his water polo family, too. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting protocols, the family, including his Japanese-born mother Mimi, weren’t able to be in Tokyo to watch Hooper and the U.S. What was supposed to be bit of a homecoming for men’s water polo attacker Johnny Hooper and family this summer in Tokyo wasn’t meant to be.

Johnny Hooper during the Olympic Games T okyo 2020 on Jin Tokyo, Japan.

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