An intense life: Rugby Olympian Kathryn Johnson is also a Minneapolis firefighter

MINNEAPOLIS – A sport that takes toughness and a job that requires it.

Kathryn Johnson is a world-class rugby player. She has played in the USA rugby system since she was 14, and was an Olympian in 2016. She recently retired from international play.

“This last World Cup was my favorite experience just because I had more perspective and I knew what I wanted to get out of it,” Johnson said.

High stakes are no sweat for KJ, who is a full-time firefighter with the Minneapolis Fire Department.

“There’s definitely opportunities where you get the butterflies and you’re nervous as hell,” Johnson said. “But you’re protected for the most part.”

The question must be asked, what is most nerve-wracking: a top-tier rugby match, or fighting a fire?  

“Firefighting. For sure firefighting,” Johnson said. “Your life is literally on the line. I mean, we say it for rugby all the time, like, ‘I’ll put my body on the line for my teammates any day.’ But it’s a whole different meaning when you say it getting on the rig.”

While sports is where she’s made a name for herself, Johnson is carrying on a family legacy with MFD.

“Having my mom be on this department before me, growing up in these stations, it made it a little bit more comfortable and doable, being able to see someone, a mentor, just an amazing woman, someone that I can hope to be like,” Johnson said.

The Hopkins High School grad plays in the Premiere Rugby Sevens – a U.S.-based league – which will hold a tournament in Eagan on June 24. Dual complementary careers.

“It’s just like rugby,” Johnson said. “You don’t know what kind of defense is gonna come at you, but you got to have like four different options to just react and make it work.”