South Africa’s Water Polo Team Exits World Championships Without a Win

The Protea Men’s water polo team faced their third consecutive defeat in the World Aquatics Championship, effectively ending their campaign. Arriving in Japan for the tournament, the South African contingent were confident and looking forward to a great campaign but are now on the way back home.

They end their campaign with no victories registered to their names.

Water Polo team never arrived

The team was in Group D along with Spain, Serbia and Montenegro.

Their opening game was against Montenegro and they walked in with great anticipation but eventually lost the game 35-10, a dismal start to their campaign. The next game was against Serbia and the magnitude of the loss was the only thing that changed as they lost with a whopping margin of 25 points with the final tally at  30-5.

Their final game, against the table toppers, Spain, ended at a score of 27-6. The team languished at the bottom of the table with 0 points and a total tally of 21 goals scored in the entire tournaments. With -71 points as goal difference, the end of their league stage with the worst scores. They next play Argentina for the 13th-16th place playoffs on Thursday.

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The steady climb of the women’s team

The Proteas woman’s water polo team, on the other hand, ended their group stage campaign with a win in their last game, beating Argentina 12-9 in a closely fought contest. They will now face Canada in the playoffs and the winner of that game will play Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Speaking to the media prior to the tournament, their 19-year-old goalkeeper said, “This team has such strong players that are insanely talented and insanely motivational and optimistic,” added Gando. “This team really pushes hard and I’m so grateful to have had the honour of playing with them.”

The Protea men’s water polo team’s World Aquatics Championships voyage may have ended in a string of losses, but it was nonetheless marked by bravery, dedication, and an unbreakable spirit. Each member of the team has shown admirable resilience and sportsmanship as they worked to make an everlasting impression on the competition.

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