Olympic MVP Larson talks about Tokyo and her future

The image of Jordan Larson standing on the top step of the podium with her American teammates at the Tokyo Olympics may be the last one of her in a United States national team uniform.

Larson, who was speaking to Volleyball Mag, indicated that a new chapter with the USA national team was not certain. The 34-year-old American captain in Tokyo, who was also the Games’ Most Valuable Player, will, however, continue her playing career at a club level in 2021, returning for a third season to Shanghai in China and also for a second season in her home country as one of the faces of the Athletes Unlimited League.

“I haven’t officially said I’ve retired from international volleyball, but it’s more than likely that will be the case,” she said. “Being able to walk away with the gold medal is a really nice present. Starting a family is now a priority, it’s something I really want to do and that I’ve been postponing for quite some time. I’m really excited to be home more often and enjoy this period of my life with my family, which is something really special.”

Larson, who will get married in the next few days, spent the last 12 years as part of the American national team and led her country to numerous victories, including three consecutive triumphs at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in 2018, 2019 and 2021, but also to victory at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.

She helped the Americans win silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games and bronze at the Rio 2016 Games and sees the team’s triumph in Tokyo as the end of a cycle. If that was indeed the case, Larson can look back at a extremely successful ending to a superlative international career. Symbolically, she was also the player who scored the last point in USA's victory over Brazil in the gold medal match in Tokyo.

“I wasn’t thinking anything, just that we needed to side out,” Larson said. “We just needed to score this point. I knew this was probably my last play and I was not going to go out tipping. I’m going out there and swing, and swing as hard as I can. That’s what was going through my mind. Even if it was unhittable, I’d go for it. We were winning by quite a bit, we wanted to get done with it and celebrate.”

The American victory in Tokyo was a significant moment for all involved. The outside hitter revealed that her experience in Tokyo, and especially the final portion of it, was really emotional.

“When the ball hit the court for the final point, there was a little bit of disbelief that it was actually happening,” she added. “I probably cried more in the 24 hours leading to the final than in my entire career. I was super emotional on the bus heading to the gym. When we scored that final point, I had nothing left. Every time I stepped on the court through the entire Olympics, I left everything out there. I didn’t want to get to the end of the Games thinking I could have done something differently.”

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