WATER POLO: The Australian women’s water polo team have laid down the challenge to the world – they are not in Rio to come second.
In a day and age when the athletes so often deflect expectation with the “game at a time” clichés, it was refreshing to hear a direct warning to rivals today.
It was a smiling declaration from Australian vice-captain, 2012 bronze medal winner Rowie Webster - “I think we’re great” - when describing what she says is the best team she has been a part of.
The Americans, world champions and gold medallists in London, of course lead the shortlist that stands in their way of emulating the gold-winning exploits of the Aussie women at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Yet confidence and focus seems to abound among the 13-girl Australians squad.
Webster and captain Bronwen Knox, a three-time Olympian who fought through a career-threatening shoulder injury to be in Brazil, faced the media this morning and left no doubt of their goal here in the pool in a competition that involves just eight teams (there are 12 in the men’s competition).
Our women have medalled three of past four games – gold in 2000 (Sydney) plus bronze in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London) while our men are still chasing their first podium experience.
“This is definitely the best team I have been a part of,” said Webster.
“Not just the water polo women but the whole Australian Olympic team too. What Kitty [Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller] has fought for – passion, pride and respect for every athlete and every team is taking that into the Games.
“I still remember where I was when the 2000 girls won gold. Every day we work super hard with the dream of going to the Olympics and now more than ever that dream is attainable [in emulating that feat].
“We have to put one game after the other together but this is the team to do it. We’re not scared about showing other sides our ability and we’re not scared about the challenges; that’s what makes true athletes.
“It’s very exciting and watch this space … we’re going to come out very hard.
“We have a great captain, great set of coaches and I don’t see why we can’t do it.”
Describing the feeling of putting on their Olympic team bathers for the first time yesterday, Webster declared: “We look great, we feel great and we are great.”
Knox declared she is in top shape after fighting back from a painful shoulder injury in November that took her out of the pool for three months and threatened her career. She is the team inspiration, inspired herself by the feats of 2000 that led her to quit swimming and follow her water polo dream of replicating that moment that put the sport on the nation’s Olympic fabric.
She says the captain of those golden pioneers, Naomi McCarthy, is a close friend who drives her to emulate that magical memory she had as a 14-year-old.
After putting her shoulder through the team’s schedule of 18 games in 21 days last month as they embarked on a training camp and game tour through Hungary, Montenegro and Croatia before finishing preparations in Italy, she says playing games here two days apart would be “a walk in the park”.
However, the 183cm 30-year-old double university degree student from Brisbane revealed just how tough it was get her body to this stage after almost quitting because she did not know if she could so quickly enough return to the level her team requires from her.
“It was an emotional roller coaster,” she said of the tough journey back to Rio after breaking her collarbone in a test event here in November.
“My first few sessions in the first few weeks back were unbelievable with the amount of pain I was dealing with just holding my arm in the water.
“I didn’t know how I was going to play in the Olympic Games at the level it demands. It’s like nothing else, the highest competition in our sport.
“It asks unbelievable things from your body.
“I was totally unsure going on our last tour if it was going to hold up but I was so glad it performed so well. The support staff have been fantastic getting me right.”
The Aussie girls open their campaign on day four against Russia before taking on Italy and hosts Brazil. All eight teams then go into a seeded quarter-finals series.
They have a team with a great mix of experience and youth. Knox and Gemma Beadsworth are lining up for their third Olympic Games with Webster, Glencora McGhie, Nicola Zagame, Holly Lincoln-Smith and Ashleigh Southern attending their second.
They are joined by six debutants, Keesja Gofers, Hannah Buckling, Kelsey Wakefield, Lea Yanitsas, Isobel Bishop and Zoe Arancini.
Their opening game is next Tuesday at 1pm local time (Wednesday 2am AEST).
Neil Cadigan
olympics.com.au
