USA Waterpolo: Women Shatter Hungary’s Gold Medal Dream and Lift 8th World Title

With the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in full flow, the US athletes have already established their dominance. Sitting atop the herd with 6 gold and 3 silver and bronze each, the Americans seemed fixated on further expanding their medals tally. Recently, they clinched the gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. The team of Kate Douglass, Claire Curzan, Nic Fink, and Hunter Armstrong cruised to the finish line within 3:40:22. 

Now, continuing the legacy, the women’s Water Polo squad of the USA has created history by clinching their eighth world championship at Doha. The women put on a stellar show to edge past Hungary in what was a thrilling showdown. 

USA women clinch gold at Doha in a valiant effort

It was always going to be a tough ask for Hungary after the American women dominated last year’s runner-up Spain 11-9 in the semis. Presenting one of the most gripping showdowns of the tournament, the two teams gave their best efforts to make their country proud. 

However, it was the US women that prevailed in the battle of nerves. They held onto the slimmest of advantages to clinch the title beating Hungary 8-7. Rachel Fattal justified her 2x Olympic gold status by scoring thrice in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. Her dominance could be attributed to the fact that Fattal bulldozed past the Hungarian defense in a span of 3:23 minutes to complete her hat trick. 

Hungary, on the other hand, was also quite confident, coming into the match and getting the better of Greece. They even had the game tied at 5-5 at one point, after which, the USA women took off. Fattal was ably supported by the rest of her team, including goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, who produced a staggering 10 saves in the final. 

As the celebrations will now continue late into the night, let’s look at some interesting tidbits from their 2024 campaign.

A tale of the ‘Never Give Up’ attitude gone right

Maggie Steffens led the goalscorer’s list for the US with 15 strikes while Fattal followed suit in the second position. Steffens also claimed the credit of having the highest game time in the tournament for the US, averaging 23:25 per game. This victory will surely be a great relief for all the fans who witnessed heartbreak after the American women failed to get past Italy in the quarterfinals of Fukuoka 2023. 

Read More: World Aquatics Championships: After Destroying Australia, American Water Polo Player Drew Holland Reveals Game Plan for the Competition

The grit and determination of the women reflected in their game as they did not let Hungary overcome the 8-5 deficit, despite coming tantalizingly close. Hungary missed out on their chance to clinch their first world championship gold since 2005, while the US marched onto their fifth title in six final appearances. An added caveat for the Americans would be the fact that they were unbeaten in the tournament, further sweetening their already impressive outing. 

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