US Water Polo Coach Wants To Go Beyond Medals, Change the Game Becoming “Recognized Worldwide”

Mar 21, 2024 | 6:50 AM EDT

Link Copied!

Preparing for something special for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA of men’s water polo has started to scratch the surface of what the team is capable of. While focusing on winning the Olympic gold medal, the team this time has been training hugely to outwork the rest. Qualified for the Summer Olympics, every member of US water polo, inclusive of its head coach has been striving on their tumultuous road to Paris 2024.

Targeting the treacherous waters filled with the best competition in the world, not everyone will get the chance to move forward. Thus, urging his team “to play super fast and super simple”, the head coach of Team USA water polo this time aims to deliver some new stances in the sport so that the talents get widely recognized by sports enthusiasts.

US water polo coach wants to do it ‘American way’

Article continues below this ad

USA Water Polo on their goal of winning the Summer Olympic Games 2024, announced its preparatory conjunction in Episode 1 of its YouTube video, Path to Paris. Though winning the gold is equally important for the team, achieving great recognition for the sport is of a higher priority, as stated by its head coach.

All eyes sighted on winning the Olympic gold this season, coach Dejan Udovicic of the Men’s National Team claimed that he did not want to stop just there. He rather plans to change the game. He stated in his interview, “I am fully committed to making some kind of American way of water polo.. some American style of water polo which will be recognized worldwide.”

Ben Hallock a former captain of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics US water polo team, clarified his coach’s sightedness by adding a few words to it. Hallock stated, “I think what he (coach, Dejan Udovicic) means by that is sort of having a hybrid between an extremely fast and dynamic playstyle, but with also a classic (touch).” Notably, the team’s road to Paris is filled with mixed performances.

Article continues below this ad

Triumphs and setbacks on the road to Paris

At the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, USA men’s water polo team secured its eighth consecutive gold. On way, they defeated Brazil 17-7. By that, they also secured their Paris Olympics berth. However, disappointment struck them at the World Aquatics Championships 2024 in Doha.

Article continues below this ad

Despite their good show in the initial stages, they concluded the tournament with ninth place while defeating Romania with a score of 13-9. Among the Highlights of the event, Alex Bowen and Max Irving scored three times for the Americans while Alex Obert added a two to the scoreboard. It remains to be seen if the team can overturn its disappointment in the grand stage of Paris.