{"id":578601,"date":"2024-02-21T05:31:34","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T12:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=578601"},"modified":"2024-02-21T05:31:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T12:31:34","slug":"usa-water-polo-at-world-championships-one-up-one-down-in-doha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/usa-water-polo-at-world-championships-one-up-one-down-in-doha\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Water Polo at World Championships: One Up, One Down in Doha"},"content":{"rendered":"

The results from the desert\u2014Qatar, to be exact\u2014at the 21st World Aquatics Championships were decidedly mixed for USA men\u2019s and women\u2019s water polo. <\/span><\/p>\n

The women, coached by <\/span>Adam Krikorian<\/b>, delivered in the clutch as they so often have during Krikorian\u2019s impressive tenure. Last Friday the Americans captured gold by virtue of a 10-9 win over Hungary<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 It\u2019s the eighth time USA has taken gold in women\u2019s water polo at the World Championships and a notable rebound for Krikorian\u2019s team. They finished fifth at the 2023 World Championships in <\/span>Fukuoka<\/span>, Japan, ending a streak of four-straight titles\u2014and suggesting American dominance might be ebbing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The results in Doha showed that USA water polo is still the team to beat. Krikorian\u2019s squad opened with a 10-8 victory over a Dutch side coming off an inspired run last month at the European Championships. That, and wins over Australia and Spain\u2014other rivals for gold at the 2024 Paris Games\u2014and a recent training session with Italy in Ostia suggest the American coach has his players focused on the only prize that really matters: a record fourth-straight Olympic gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

The American women\u2019s squad for Paris will feature a core of experienced Olympians led by captain <\/span>Maggie Steffens<\/b>, a three-time gold medalist. Those veterans will pair with a crop of newcomers eager to follow Krikorian wherever he leads, with this latest journey perhaps the final coaching chapter for one of the nation\u2019s finest Olympic stewards.<\/span><\/p>\n

The US men, coached by <\/span>Dejan Udovicic<\/b>, were not close to a medal, let alone a title in Doha. Their path to a ninth-place finish was marked by a tournament opening shootout loss to Montenegro, a two-goal loss to Serbia and a one-goal loss to Italy. An optimist might say the Americans are close, but\u2014unlike the US women\u2014they always seem to be on the wrong side of close games.<\/span><\/p>\n

The latest World Championships result by Udovicic\u2019s team raises concerns about what might take place at Paris\u2019 Aquatics Center five months from now. Despite a reshuffling at the top of the men\u2019s ranks\u2014two-time defending Olympic champs Serbia has replaced almost its entire lineup while Croatia, Italy and Spain have gotten that much older three years after Tokyo\u2014the Americans appear to be losing ground. Perhaps the most telling sign: the rise of French polo. Until a recent focus as this year\u2019s host, France had qualified for an Olympic water polo berth just once since 1992\u2014an 11th place finish at the 2016 Rio Games. They placed fourth in Doha, a year after placing fourth in <\/span>Fukuoka, a success which included a semifinal win over the US<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"usa-water-polo\"

Photo Courtesy: USA Water polo<\/p><\/div>\n

Is it unfair to question which direction the American men are going? A sixth-place finish at the Tokyo Games provided a glimmer of hope for future play, with young talents like <\/span>Hannes Daube<\/b>, <\/span>Johnny Hooper<\/b>, <\/span>Max Irving<\/b> and <\/span>Marko Vavic<\/b> developing in time for success in 2024. Clearly, this hoped-for improvement has yet to occur; a sixth place World Aquatics Championships finish in 2022 was followed by seventh in 2023 and now ninth this year. As a tune-up for the Olympics, the tournament in Doha was an American dud, and you have to wonder how much longer <\/span>Ben Hallock<\/b>, the best American man of his generation, will take the pounding and the losing. Will he endure until the US hosts the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles?<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the heat, and perhaps the absurdity, of an aquatics championship in Qatar, the American women proved they are again gold-medal worthy. The US men showed they need a stunning reversal to contend for a medal in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The results from the desert\u2014Qatar, to be exact\u2014at the 21st World Aquatics Championships were decidedly mixed for USA men\u2019s and women\u2019s water polo. The women, coached by Adam Krikorian, delivered<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4875,"featured_media":578604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[133434],"class_list":["post-578601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-water-polo","tag-2024-world-aquatics-championships-doha"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nUSA Water Polo at World Championships: One Up, One Down<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"USA Water Polo at World Championships: One Up, One Down in Doha. 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