Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS
Commentary By Dan D’Addona
The U.S. women’s water polo team is dominating the sport like no other team has in history.
In fact, the Americans are dominating the sport like few teams have dominated any team sport in history.
The U.S. women’s team is the first to hold the Olympic gold medal, as well as golds at the World Championships, Pan American Games, World Cup and World League titles at the same time, a run which started by winning gold in London in 2012.
The Americans could put a stamp on this dominance by becoming the first women’s team to repeat as gold medalist when the 2016 Olympic Games open in Rio de Janeiro. Since the sport’s inception at the 2000 Sydney Games, each Olympics has brought a new champion with Australia winning at home in 2000, Italy winning in 2004 and the Netherlands claiming gold in 2008.
Maggie Steffens is a familiar face looking to bring the gold back to a familiar place.
Steffens was the youngest member of the U.S. team in London in 2012 at age 19, but quickly became the most dominant player in the world, claiming the Olympic tournament most valuable player award after leading the U.S. to the gold.
Steffens was joined in London by her older sister Jessica. While Jessica has retired, another set of sisters will have a huge impact on the Americans’ run for repeat gold.
Makenzie and Aria Fischer will give the team a family feel and a young feel. Makenzie is 19 and Aria just 17 — the youngest players on the team. Their father, Erich, competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for the U.S.
But the youth movement worked out pretty well four years ago with Steffens emerging as the top player in the world with 21 goals in London.
Makenzie Fischer is following Steffens as an offensive powerhouse, scoring 24 goals in the Olympic qualifying tournament in March, leading the U.S. to an 8-0 record in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has a pioneering goalie anchoring the defense. Ashleigh Johnson is the first African-American woman to make an Olympic water polo team and is the only member of the U.S. team not from California, growing up in Miami, Florida. She led the U.S. to victories at the 2015 Pan American Games, the 2015 World Championships and 2014 World Cup.
The biggest competition for the U.S. could come from Spain, which faces the Americans first at 10:40 a.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 9.
In other first-day action, China faces Hungary (8 a.m.), Russia plays Australia (9:20 a.m.) and Italy faces Brazil (noon).
The U.S. then faces China at 9:20 a.m. Thursday, while Italy faces Australia, Russia plays Brazil and Spain faces Hungary in pool play.
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