Abby Andrews

Fast Facts

Sport: Water Polo 
Event: Women
Olympic History: Tokyo 2020
Year Born:  2000
Born:  Brisbane, QLD 

About Abby

After finishing high school at Brisbane Girls Grammar, Abby started tertiary studies at the University of Queensland, which led to her competing in the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy. 

Australia came fifth, but Andrews's appearance caught the eye of Water Polo Australia, who invited her to a senior camp. Abby had actually already competed for Australia at the Youth World Championships in 2018, before she enrolled at the University of Michigan in January. 

She established Michigan rookie records of 70 assists and 126 points in helping the Wolverines capture the 2019 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) championship. She was named the CWPA Rookie of the Year and CWPA Rookie of the Tournament. Her performances pointing to an Australian senior call-up and even higher honours to come.

“I honestly did not know how to react because my plans were to go back (to play with the University of Michigan),’’ Abby said. “But speaking with my family, I could not turn down the opportunity of a senior call-up back home."

“Even if I was not in their sights (for Tokyo), I was going to improve so much (by attending the camp) and they believed in me. So I had to believe in myself.”

Abby was most certainly in the sights of Water Polo Australia and was selected for her maiden Olympics at the Tokyo 2020 games.

This pleased many people, especially her Queensland Thunder coach Benn Lees who in early 2020 predicted Abby's Olympic honors. 

“She is not only physically talented but has a wonderful attitude toward the sport,’’ Lees said. “She is a left-hander, very skillful and smart, and has a wonderful selfless attitude.’’

Abby would go on to make her Olympic debut at the delayed Tokyo 2020 games, alongside the Australia women's water polo squad. The team would complete an impressive opening four games in the group stage of the tournament, ending in equal first on points and progressing to the quarter-finals 2nd due to head-to-head statistics. 

The Aussies would go on to lose a narrow quarter-final 9-8 against the ROC, but go to on to achieve consecutive wins against Canada and the Netherlands to achieve a overall 5th placing at the games.