WATER POLO: The Australian women’s water polo team kick off their bid for a first FINA World Championship gold medal in almost 30 years when they open their title campaign against Greece at 710pm (AEST) on Sunday night.
Despite being at the forefront of international competition for decades, Australia last won gold at the world championships in 1986 – the inaugural women’s world title – but came very close two years ago in Barcelona, going down to the hosts Spain in the gold medal decider.
Whilst a win would be a tremendous shot in the arm for the Aussie Stingers, the tournament is another integral part of their larger goal of winning gold at the Rio Olympic Games next year.
Australian star Rowie Webster, a FINA world player of the year finalist in 2013 and 2014 and a member of the Stingers’ bronze medal winning Olympic team in London in 2012, said the team’s focus in Kazan was working together as a unit, in turn setting a platform for success on next year’s bigger stage.
“Our team goal in Kazan is obviously to win the world championships, while also gaining as much team experience on the road to the Rio Olympics as possible,” Webster said.
“To achieve that goal we need to continue building combinations between players, executing our moves as a team and as individuals and staying positive and focused each game, one team at a time.
“This world championships is the stepping stone towards the Rio Olympics. We have set ourselves the challenge to win this tournament and gain as much experience and exposure at the top level as possible. It's a great opportunity for all 13 players named in the team to rise to the occasion.
Whilst she said the Stingers aimed to win gold in the final in two weeks time, the Victorian refused to narrow her gaze at one major opponent.
“At this level, every team is as hard as the next when you are playing them,” Webster said.
“We have to win every match before we can move onto the next team and the following rounds. Challenging ourselves to play every quarter to the best of our ability will lead to success if we do our jobs.”
After their opening group stage game against the Greeks on Sunday night Australia will play South Africa (550pm AEST on Tuesday) and the inform Netherlands team (on Friday 31/7 at 310am AEST). The group stages will be followed by a crossover stage, quarterfinals, semi finals and the medal rounds.
WATER POLO AUSTRALIA