{"id":373302,"date":"2019-06-04T04:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=373302"},"modified":"2019-06-03T14:35:43","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T21:35:43","slug":"18th-fina-world-aquatics-championships-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/18th-fina-world-aquatics-championships-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents “18th FINA World Aquatics Championships Preview: Water Polo”"},"content":{"rendered":"

18th FINA World Aquatics Championships Preview: Water Polo
\n<\/span>July 14-27 and July 13 (Beach Water Polo)
\n<\/span><\/h2>\n

BY MICHAEL RANDAZZO
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Of the 16 teams in the men\u2019s draw, the most closely watched will be Serbia<\/strong> and Croatia<\/strong>. Over the last five years, the Serbs, coached by Dejan Savic<\/strong>, have captured every major title\u2014including gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics\u2014except one: the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, where they were upset by the Croatians in a thrilling semifinal. The Croats took gold at that tournament, but have been unable to beat their rivals in major competition since.<\/p>\n

Filip Filipovic<\/strong>, the brilliant Serbian attacker, continues to play at top form well into his 30s. He is expected to participate in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where his country will again be favored to prevail. But the lefty with over 300 appearances\u2014a key contributor since his international debut at the 2003 European Championships\u2014may be playing in his final World Championships.<\/p>\n

A major challenge for Filipovic and his comrades will be adjusting to new rules instituted by FINA last March. Intended to speed up play and to make the game more comprehensible to casual fans, the changes reward offense while penalizing overly physical play.<\/p>\n

No matter the rules, though, it\u2019s expected that Serbia and Croatia could advance to either a semifinal or final meeting\u2014one that promises to be the year\u2019s best. An additional incentive to winning: berths in the 2020 Olympics will be awarded to the two finalists.<\/p>\n

The U.S. men<\/strong> have a favorable draw\u2014their two biggest challengers, Germany<\/strong> and Japan<\/strong>, are comparable opponents. But they are far more likely to qualify for their ninth straight Olympics at the 2019 Pan American Games come August in Lima, Peru.<\/p>\n

The U.S. women<\/strong> will be seeking their 11th straight major tournament win and their third straight World Championship title. Adam Krikorian<\/strong>, Team USA\u2019s head coach, has maintained his team\u2019s extraordinary success while shuttling players in and out. Two constants remain, and they will be crucial to continued American dominance: Maggie Steffens<\/strong>, generally acknowledged to be the world\u2019s best female player, and Ashleigh Johnson<\/strong>, who backstopped the U.S. to gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics.<\/p>\n

Krikorian\u2019s women have a tough opening draw: their group includes a Dutch<\/strong> team that recently won the 2019 Europa Cup, a talented Russian<\/strong> squad and long-time rival Australia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a more in depth look at the water polo teams headed to the FINA World Aquatics Championships this year,
\ncheck out the June 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em>, available now!<\/p>\n

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