Paris 2024 water polo: Spain beat Australia to win their first women’s title
Paris La Defense Arena erupted as the Spanish women’s water polo team captured their first-ever gold medal with an 11-9 triumph over Australia at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The Netherlands took bronze, overcoming the United States (11-10), who have dominated the sport for the past three Olympic Games.
This victory for Spain is a decade in the making.
Spain, who had previously tasted silver at both London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, finally ascended to the summit. Maica Godoy’s crucial goal late in the fourth quarter, putting Spain ahead 11-7, was the straw that broke the Australians' back. Despite a valiant fightback, the clock was the ultimate adversary for the Aussies, who could only close the gap to two before time expired.
“We weren’t settled with another silver, we wanted the gold,” said an elated Anni Espar Llaquet. “We fought and we finally achieved that Olympic gold. Goosebumps, I don’t have any words.” Her sentiments echoed the collective emotions of a nation.
Australia’s shocking semi-final victory over the three-time reigning champions USA meant Spain dodged the team who had thwarted them in two previous finals. But there was no room for complacency; the Australians were determined to reclaim the glory they last tasted on home soil at Sydney 2000.
Alice Williams, who spearheaded Australia’s attack with five goals, reflected on the narrow defeat with a mix of pride and disappointment. “In the game today, they just showed a bit more experience than we did. But we’ll take this away with us, we’ll look at it. But overall, we are really, really proud of ourselves.”
The silver medal, though not the colour they desired, is a testament to the Stingers’ remarkable run, unbeaten until the final and defying expectations at every turn.
For Spain, the support of their fans in the arena and across the nation was a driving force. “A lot of people are following us through TV. I’m grateful for being able to live this,” said Espar Llaquet.
Meanwhile, in the bronze medal match, the Netherlands pulled off a thrilling 11-10 victory over the United States, a result that shook the foundations of the sport. For the first time since women’s water polo was introduced to the Olympics in 2000, the U.S. failed to medal. Sabrina van der Sloot’s last-second heroics, scoring her sixth goal of the match, capped an incredible comeback for the Dutch, who trailed 9-6 in the final quarter. This bronze, the Netherlands’ first Olympic medal in the sport in 16 years, is a fitting reward for a team who have shown tremendous resilience.
Water polo: Women’s podium
Gold: Spain
Silver: Australia
Bronze: Netherlands
All results on Olympics.com