“I am so excited,” he said about the forthcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. “They have been a long time coming. I am happy that it’s finally 2021, and it’s within 100 days of the Olympics now.”
At the 2019 Pan American Games, the Team USA men’s water polo team took home the gold medal. “That was a part of the process, and it felt great to win the gold in Lima, and to ultimately qualify for the Olympic Games,” he said. “Now, we are aiming for gold in Tokyo, so we are getting ready for that.”
On his daily motivations, he said, “Personally, I am very family-driven. I am very lucky that my family has been behind me from my mother, to my father, to my siblings, and especially my grandparents, who worked so hard. It’s really my family that motivates me the most, and has always been there to support me whether it’s in the United States, California, New York, or when I am traveling internationally.”
“I have been in the water my whole life since the age of nine,” he admitted. “I didn’t try other sports, with the exception of soccer for a season.”
For young and aspiring water polo players, he said, “Definitely focus on the fundamentals but don’t forget to have fun because once you lose passion or the original reason why you started the sport, then it’s time to start looking in another direction. Lucky for me, I am extremely passionate about water polo and I love it. That’s why I continue to play it.”
“I am very grateful for everywhere it has taken me, and also, I have created so many lifelong friendships just from the sport. It has been really great for me. We have a really good group of guys,” he said, prior to adding that this past winter 12 guys were training in Greece as part of the American water polo team, which was quite unprecedented.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Ramirez said, “Preparation for Tokyo.” “We are here now and it’s less than 100 days and we are going to start training full-time as a team until July 23, which is game time. This is the final push until July 23,” he said.
On his career-defining moments, he said, “When I was cut from the all-star team when I was younger, I was 12 or 13 at the time. The coach, with who I had a good relationship, told me that I didn’t make the tryout. Then, one year later, I went back to the tryouts and I made the team that I tried out originally (with my age group), and they invited me to attend the older guys’ trainings, which I was originally cut from. It was really cool how one year goes by and then I get invited to train with two teams, and everything can turn around in one year.”
Ramirez continued, “COVID also postponed the Olympics and everything, but it looks like a lot of good could happen after this one year off.”
He defined the word success as “ultimately, reaching your goals.”
To learn more about American water polo player Chancellor Ramirez, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
