Jarrod's Story
Right handed utility, Jarrod Gilchrist made his Olympic debut in Rio at the 2016 Games.
The Aussies lined up against the Brazilian hosts in their opening Game of the 2016 Olympics, but the roars from the home crowd proved to be too much as the boys narrowly went down 8-7. In their second pool game, the Aussies bounced back to secure a 9-9 draw with powerhouse Hungary, before they recorded an 8-6 win over Japan in game three.
Determined to try and secure Australia’s first ever men’s water polo medal, the Aussies then lined up with eventual Gold medallists Serbia and after a hard fought battle went down 10-8. Hungary defeating Brazil resulted in a fifth place finish in their pool for the green and gold, meaning the Aussies would not progress to the quarter-final stage.
Gilchrist made his international debut in 2009 when he won gold at the World University Games in Serbia against the host nation. The same year he was named on the National Water Polo League All Stars team after his performance with the UNSW West Magpies and was crowned the Victorian University Male Athlete of the Year.
After undergoing shoulder surgery in 2010, Gilchrist was missing from the international water polo stage for a couple of years. However he was back with the Sharks in 2013, winning gold at the Danube Cup in Slovakia and placing eighth at the FINA World Championships in Spain.
Gilchrist helped the UNSW West Magpies win back-to-back national championships in 2014 and 2015. He was also a member of the 2015 FINA World Championships team that placed eighth in Kazan, Russia.
A Commerce Student at the Curtin University, Gilchrist was born in Melbourne and is a passionate Collingwood AFL supporter. He first got involved in the sport because his father played socially for 20 years and encouraged him to give it a try.
