Australia’s Stingers have suffered Olympic heartbreak, succumbing in the women’s water polo final 11-9 to Spain as their frustrating 24-year wait for the biggest title in the sport goes on.
Unbeaten throughout the tournament, history-making coach Bec Rippon’s team finally met their match in a brilliant Spanish side, inspired by four-goal Bea Ortiz and hat-trick star Maica Garcia Godoy at a throbbing La Defense Arena on Saturday.
Not even five goals from their own brilliant top scorer Alice Williams was enough for the Stingers, who had been attempting to emulate the famous class of Sydney 2000, who won the inaugural women’s tournament at home.
Since then, they have suffered so many near-misses in global tournaments and here was another, having to settle for silver after being largely outplayed by Spaniards, who upgraded their own second-place finish at the Tokyo Games.
“I’m so proud of this team but this was hard,” admitted Rippon, who had been a player in the bronze-medal winning team in Beijing in 2008 and is now the first female coach of an Olympic medal-winning women’s team.
“We had a lot of good looks at goal but didn’t finish well, didn’t take the most of our opportunities.
“Their goalie (Martina Terre) had a great game but we’re probably a little bit too predictable in where we were going to shoot and didn’t finish as well as we’d like.”
Williams ended up as the tournament’s leading scorer on 21 goals while, in goal, the outstanding Gabriella Palm had another big game.
“They’re both fantastic players and they’ve really stepped in an amazing way. I’m proud of them,” said Rippon, quizzed about the star duo.
But their heroics still weren’t enough to eclipse Spain, the form team of the tournament, and after their initial disappointment, the Stingers’ players were left thrilled at collecting silver medals from a tournament which had begun with the team being rocked by an outbreak of COVID-19.
“We weren’t stressed about it,” explained long-serving skipper Zoe Arancini. “It was just another bump in the journey and we just had to get on with it. It’s Aussie Stinger-style – just take it as it comes and roll on.
“Disappointed not to get the gold, but elated to get the silver, I couldn’t be more proud of this team. They’ve really embodied the Aussie spirit of fighting ’til the end.”
Williams had given Australia the lead in just two minutes from a penalty to calm nerves, but that was as good as it got.
They were not to lead again, and even when a Sienna Hearn goal early in the final quarter got them back to just one behind, the superb Ortiz and Garcia Godoy restored their complete command. A fifth goal for Williams and another from Hearn were too little, far too late.
There were a few tears of disappointment afterwards, but mainly the emotions were pride and exhilaration.
Bronte Halligan, who had famously had her picture taken outside the Olympic opening ceremony as a little girl, smiled: “This morning, I woke up and I said to myself, ‘play for little Bronte’, do it for that little four-year old that fell in love with the Olympics.
“And I just had the best time — and the only way I can describe it is joy.”
Keesja Gofers, the oldest member of the team at 34, couldn’t hold back the tears, seeing her baby daughter in the crowd.
“You know, there’s more to come from this team,” she promised.
“It’s exciting, Australia. Like, get behind us and watch this space, because the future is going to be exciting.”
