Less than a year ago, Kiya Johnson was standing on top of the college gymnastics world. Today, away from the team, she is working to grow the sport in a different way.
In her final performance as a Tiger, Johnson wrote her name in the history books as a key member of the famed beam rotation that won LSU its first-ever national title last spring.
In the most critical minute and a half of her collegiate career, the entire country watched on as the fifth-year signed off with a high 9.950 and passed the torch to the last woman standing, Aleah Finnegan, to bring it home.
“The feeling is still hard to describe because it was the most storybook ending to my career, and a historical moment for LSU gym as a whole,” Johnson said.
Almost a year later, the alumna has made multiple returns to the gym floor, but this time it’s behind the camera.
Johnson began her job as a production assistant at ESPN over the summer, where she covers the sport she knows better than anyone.
For five years, she was under the spotlight, now she shines it on other gymnasts.
“It’s been very cool to kind of still be connected to the sport that I love, and also connected to LSU gymnastics, but just in a different capacity,” Johnson said.
Friday Night Heights looks a little different from the other side.
There, she’s assigned a meet every week and works with a graphics producer to come up with content highlighting gymnasts and stories that she brings to life through digital editing and composition.
“I was in that position once before, so I kind of know what the girls are thinking and what’s going on, and so I feel like that’s been helpful for me to be able to story tell in a different way,” Johnson said.
Before her new role, if Johnson were asked if she considered herself a creative individual, she would have said no. In fact, before February of 2024, she had few plans for life post-gymnastics.
In her early days at LSU, Johnson pursued a career in physical therapy but later made the switch to sports administration. Like many student-athletes, she hoped to sew her love for sports into a career path.
A season-ending Achilles injury in her senior year opened the door for a fifth and final year with the Tiger – a decision that changed everything for her.
“I don’t know if I would have stayed if I didn’t get hurt,” Johnson said. “What I was telling myself that whole time was everything happens for a reason, and for our team to have that storybook ending like we did, I for sure believe in that statement.”
Johnson had her most successful season yet, but in the midst of a championship run, she still needed to secure her future.
She was introduced to the ESPN program director, who was a speaker at an LSU female student-athlete event, inspiring Johnson to apply.
Several interviews and one national championship later, Johnson had the job.
“It’s been very fun, but very different to be on this side of it,” Johnson said. “It was a little weird at first, watching them on TV and not being in the PMAC on Friday nights.”
Nine meets down, she feels much more confident in her abilities, but the jump from a schedule of training, coursework and competitions to a full-time job can be daunting. Many collegiate gymnasts were tumbling before they could walk, so to suddenly stop competing is a harsh lifestyle adjustment.
“Your whole life is surrounded by your sport in some way, shape or form,” Johnson said. “To win a national championship was amazing. But the next day, I wasn’t a gymnast anymore, which is crazy to think about. Everything flipped very quickly.”
Johnson is able to stay tightly connected to the sport she loves through her work and a newly grown fondness for coaching.
In addition to her full-time job, she’s taken on volunteer coaching at Southern Connecticut University, a Division II gymnastics program. For Johnson, it’s another way to stay connected to the sport and grow her gymnastics family.
She still gets to travel too, visiting her old teammates at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad in Oklahoma. There, ESPN aired its own story on Johnson announcing her role with the team.
Last April, she was interviewed by ESPN after winning the national championship. This April, she’ll most likely be there but working for the network.
“I’m excited to be a part of it again, just not in a [leotard],” Johnson said.
The past year has come full circle for Johnson, and she doesn’t plan on stopping here.
Johnson thinks that before long, college gymnastics is going to need more coverage, and the more eyes companies like ESPN can get on it, the better.
Through their efforts, Friday nights can reach new heights, and she wants to be a part of that.
