List of women's Olympic water polo tournament records and statistics

This is a list of records and statistics of the women's Olympic water polo tournament since the inaugural official edition in 2000.

Abbreviations edit

Rk Rank Ref Reference (C) Captain
Pos Playing position FP Field player GK Goalkeeper
L/R Handedness L Left-handed R Right-handed
p. page pp. pages

General statistics edit

This is a summary of women's water polo at the Summer Olympics by tournament.

The following table shows winning teams, coaches and captains by tournament. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team
Winning teams, coaches and captains by tournament
# Women's tournament[1] Winning team Winning coach Winning captain
1   Sydney 2000   Australia (1st title)   István Görgényi
2   Athens 2004   Italy (1st title)   Pierluigi Formiconi   Carmela Allucci
3   Beijing 2008   Netherlands (1st title)   Robin van Galen   Yasemin Smit
4   London 2012   United States (1st title)   Adam Krikorian   Brenda Villa
5   Rio 2016   United States (2nd title)   Adam Krikorian (2)   Maggie Steffens

The following table shows top goalscorers, goalkeepers, sprinters and Most Valuable Players by tournament. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

Notes:

  • Top goalscorer: the water polo player who scored the most goals in a tournament.
  • Top goalkeeper: the water polo player who saved the most shots in a tournament.
  • Top sprinter: the water polo player who won the most sprints in a tournament.
  • Most Valuable Player: the water polo player who was named the Most Valuable Player of a tournament.
Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Team – Defunct team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Top goalscorers, goalkeepers, sprinters and Most Valuable Players by tournament
Year[1] Winning team Top goalscorer
(Goals)
Top goalkeeper
(Saves, Eff %)
Top sprinter
(Sprints won)
Most Valuable Player
(Goals or Saves, Eff %)
2000   Australia   Daniëlle de Bruijn (11)
  Bridgette Gusterson (11)
  Sofia Konukh (11)
  Karla Plugge (45, 55.6%)   Tatiana Petrova (16)
2004   Italy   Tania Di Mario (14)   Jacqueline Frank (41, 60.3%)   Kyriaki Liosi (21)   Tania Di Mario (14 goals)
2008   Netherlands   Daniëlle de Bruijn (17)   Elizabeth Armstrong (49, 53.3%)   Wang Yi (18)
2012   United States   Maggie Steffens (21)   Elena Gigli (56, 53.3%)   Kate Gynther (21)
  Jennifer Pareja (21)
  Maggie Steffens (21 goals)
2016   United States   Maggie Steffens (17)   Giulia Gorlero (65, 61.3%)   Rachel Fattal (17)   Maggie Steffens (17 goals)

Confederation statistics edit

Best performances by tournament edit

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.[1] Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
Confederation 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Africa – CANA 10th
Americas – UANA 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 1st
Asia – AASF 6th 8th 5th 5th 7th 8th
Europe – LEN 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd
Oceania – OSA 1st 4th 3rd 3rd 6th 5th
Total teams 6 8 8 8 8 10

All-time best performances edit

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation at the Olympics.[1] Last updated: 15 January 2021.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
Confederation Best performance Women's team
Africa – CANA
Americas – UANA 1st   United States (2012, 2016)
Asia – AASF 5th   China (2008*, 2012)
Europe – LEN 1st   Italy (2004),   Netherlands (2008)
Oceania – OSA 1st   Australia (2000*)

Team statistics edit

Comprehensive team results by tournament edit

Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included. Last updated: 12 February 2024.

Legend
  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  •  Q  – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
  •     – Hosts
Abbreviation
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
Africa – CANA (1 team)
Women's team[1] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
  South Africa 10th WD 1
Americas – UANA (3 teams)
Women's team[1] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
  Brazil 8th 1
  Canada (stats) 5th 7th 7th Q 4
  United States (stats) 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 1st Q 7
Asia – AASF (3 teams)
Women's team[1] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
  China (stats) 5th 5th 7th 8th Q 5
  Japan 9th 1
  Kazakhstan 6th 8th 2
Europe – LEN (9 teams)
Women's team[1] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
  France Q 1
  Great Britain 8th 1
  Greece (stats) 2nd 8th Q 3
  Hungary (stats) 6th 4th 4th 4th 3rd Q 6
  Italy (stats) 1st 6th 7th 2nd Q 5
  Netherlands (stats) 4th 1st 6th Q 4
  ROC (stats) 4th 1
  Russia (stats) 3rd 5th 7th 6th 3rd 5
  Spain (stats) 2nd 5th 2nd Q 4
Oceania – OSA (1 team)
Women's team[1] 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Years
  Australia (stats) 1st 4th 3rd 3rd 6th 5th Q 7
Total teams 6 8 8 8 8 10 10

Number of appearances by team edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of appearances (in descending order), year of the last appearance (in ascending order), year of the first appearance (in ascending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend and abbreviation
  • Year* – As host team
  • Apps – Appearances
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
Number of appearances by team
Rk Women's team[1] Apps Record
streak
Active
streak
Debut Most
recent
Best finish Confederation
1   Australia (stats) 6 6 6 2000* 2020 Champions Oceania – OSA
  Russia (stats) 6 6 6 2000 2020 Third place Europe – LEN
  United States (stats) 6 6 6 2000 2020 Champions Americas – UANA
4   Hungary (stats) 5 5 5 2004 2020 Fourth place Europe – LEN
5   Italy (stats) 4 4 0 2004 2016 Champions Europe – LEN
  China (stats) 4 4 4 2008* 2020 Fifth place Asia – AASF
7   Canada (stats) 3 2 1 2000 2020 Fifth place Americas – UANA
  Netherlands (stats) 3 1 1 2000 2020 Champions Europe – LEN
  Spain (stats) 3 3 3 2012 2020 Runners-up Europe – LEN
10   Kazakhstan 2 2 0 2000 2004 Sixth place Asia – AASF
  Greece (stats) 2 2 0 2004* 2008 Runners-up Europe – LEN
12   Great Britain 1 1 0 2012* 2012* Eighth place Europe – LEN
  Brazil 1 1 1 2016* 2016* Eighth place Americas – UANA
  Japan 1 1 1 2020* 2020* Ninth place Asia – AASF
  South Africa 1 1 1 2020 2020 Tenth place Africa – CANA
Rk Women's team Apps Record
streak
Active
streak
Debut Most
recent
Best finish Confederation

Best finishes by team edit

The following table is pre-sorted by best finish (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend and abbreviation
  • Year* – As host team
  • Apps – Appearances
  • stats – Olympic water polo team statistics
Best finishes by team
Rk Women's team[1] Best finish Apps Confederation
1   United States (stats) Champions (2002, 2006) 6 Americas – UANA
2   Australia (stats) Champions (2000*) 6 Oceania – OSA
  Italy (stats) Champions (2004) 4 Europe – LEN
  Netherlands (stats) Champions (2008) 3 Europe – LEN
5   Greece (stats) Runners-up (2004*) 2 Europe – LEN
  Spain (stats) Runners-up (2012) 3 Europe – LEN
7   Russia (stats) Third place (2000, 2016) 6 Europe – LEN
8   Hungary (stats) Fourth place (2008, 2012, 2016) 5 Europe – LEN
9   China (stats) Fifth place (2008*, 2012) 4 Asia – AASF
10   Canada (stats) Fifth place (2000) 3 Americas – UANA
11   Kazakhstan Sixth place (2000) 2 Asia – AASF
12   Brazil Eighth place (2016*) 1 Americas – UANA
  Great Britain Eighth place (2012*) 1 Europe – LEN
14   Japan Ninth place (2020*) 1 Asia – AASF
15   South Africa Tenth place (2020) 1 Africa – CANA
Rk Women's team Best finish Apps Confederation

Finishes in the top four edit

The following table is pre-sorted by total finishes in the top four (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
Rk Women's team[1] Total Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place First Last
1   United States 6 3 (2012, 2016, 2020) 2 (2000, 2008) 1 (2004) 2000 2020
2   Australia 4 1 (2000*) 2 (2008, 2012) 1 (2004) 2000 2012
3   Hungary 4 1 (2020) 3 (2008, 2012, 2016) 2008 2020
4   Italy 2 1 (2004) 1 (2016) 2004 2016
5   Netherlands 2 1 (2008) 1 (2000) 2000 2008
6   Spain 2 2 (2012, 2020) 2012 2020
7   Russia 2 2 (2000, 2016) 2000 2016
8   Greece 1 1 (2004*) 2004 2004
9   ROC 1 1 (2020) 2020 2020
Rk Women's team Total Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place First Last

Medal table edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

The United States is the most successful country in the women's Olympic water polo tournament, with three gold, two silver and one bronze.[1]

RankWomen's teamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  United States (USA)3216
2  Italy (ITA)1102
3  Australia (AUS)1023
4  Netherlands (NED)1001
5  Spain (ESP)0202
6  Greece (GRE)0101
7  Russia (RUS)0022
8  Hungary (HUN)0011
Totals (8 entries)66618

Champions (results) edit

The following table shows results of Olympic champions in women's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
  •  Team  – Host team
Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goals difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goals difference per match
Results of champions by tournament
# Women's tournament Champions MP W D L Win % GF GA GD GF/MP GA/MP GD/MP
1   Sydney 2000   Australia (1st title) 7 6 0 1 85.7% 46 29 17 6.571 4.143 2.429
2   Athens 2004   Italy (1st title) 6 5 0 1 83.3% 44 33 11 7.333 5.500 1.833
3   Beijing 2008   Netherlands (1st title) 6 4 0 2 66.7% 57 53 4 9.500 8.833 0.667
4   London 2012   United States (1st title) 6 5 1 0 83.3% 58 48 10 9.667 8.000 1.667
5   Rio 2016   United States (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 73 32 41 12.167 5.333 6.833
6   Tokyo 2020   United States (3rd title) 7 6 0 1 85.7% 109 47 62 15.571 6.714 8.857
# Women's tournament Total 38 32 1 5 84.2% 387 242 145 10.184 6.368 3.816
Champions MP W D L Win % GF GA GD GF/MP GA/MP GD/MP

Sources:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 96), 2004 (p. 72), 2008 (p. 71), 2012 (p. 368), 2016 (p. 218), 2020 (p. 273);
  • Olympedia: 2000–2020 (women's tournaments).

The following table shows women's teams that won all matches during the Olympic tournament.

Winning all matches during the tournament
# Year Champions MP W D L Win %
1 2016   United States (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%

The following tables show records of goals for per match.

Historical progression of records: Goals for per match
Goals for
per match
Achievement Year Champions Date of
winning gold
Duration of record
6.571 Set record 2000   Australia (1st title) 23 September 2000 3 years, 338 days
7.333 Broke record 2004   Italy (1st title) 26 August 2004 3 years, 361 days
9.500 Broke record 2008   Netherlands (1st title) 21 August 2008 3 years, 354 days
9.667 Broke record 2012   United States (1st title) 9 August 2012 4 years, 10 days
12.167 Broke record 2016   United States (2nd title) 19 August 2016 4 years, 353 days
15.571 Broke record 2020   United States (3rd title) 7 August 2021 2 years, 229 days

The following tables show records of goals against per match.

The following tables show records of goals difference per match.

Champions (squads) edit

The following table shows number of players and average age, height and weight of Olympic champions in women's water polo by tournament. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Olympic winning streak
  •  Team  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  Team  – Host team
Winning squads by tournament
# Women's tournament Champions Players Returning Olympians Average
Number Number % Age Height Weight
1   Sydney 2000   Australia (1st title) 13 0 0.0% 26 years, 215 days 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 71 kg (157 lb)
2   Athens 2004   Italy (1st title) 13 0 0.0% 28 years, 301 days 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 67 kg (148 lb)
3   Beijing 2008   Netherlands (1st title) 13 2 15.4% 25 years, 248 days 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 70 kg (154 lb)
4   London 2012   United States (1st title) 13 8 61.5% 26 years, 96 days 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 77 kg (170 lb)
5   Rio 2016   United States (2nd title) 13 4 30.8% 23 years, 200 days 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 77 kg (170 lb)
6   Tokyo 2020   United States (3rd title) 13 8 61.5% 26 years, 33 days 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
# Women's tournament Champions Number Number % Age Height Weight
Players Returning Olympians Average

Sources:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 96), 2004 (p. 73), 2008 (p. 72), 2012 (p. 369), 2016 (p. 219), 2020 (p. 274);
  • Olympedia: 2000–2020 (women's tournaments).

The following tables show records of the number of returning Olympians.

The following tables show records of average age.

The following tables show records of average height.

Historical progression of records: Average height
Average height Achievement Year Champions Date of
winning gold
Duration of record
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Set record 2000   Australia (1st title) 23 September 2000 11 years, 321 days
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Broke record 2012   United States (1st title) 9 August 2012 11 years, 227 days
Tied record 2016   United States (2nd title) 19 August 2016

The following tables show records of average weight.

Historical progression of records: Average weight
Average weight Achievement Year Champions Date of
winning gold
Duration of record
71 kg (157 lb) Set record 2000   Australia (1st title) 23 September 2000 11 years, 321 days
77 kg (170 lb) Broke record 2012   United States (1st title) 9 August 2012 11 years, 227 days
Tied record 2016   United States (2nd title) 19 August 2016

Olympic and world champions (teams) edit

Team records edit

Teams having equal quantities in the tables below are ordered by the tournament the quantity was attained in (the teams that attained the quantity first are listed first). If the quantity was attained by more than one team in the same tournament, these teams are ordered alphabetically. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team

Appearances edit

Most appearances
6, Australia, United States (have participated in every tournament).
Most appearances, never winning a title
5, Russia (has participated in every tournament).
Most appearances, never finishing in the top two
5, Russia (has participated in every tournament).
Most appearances, never winning a medal
4, China (2008*, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Most appearances, never finishing in the top four
4, China (2008*, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Fewest appearances
1, Great Britain (2012*), Brazil (2016*), Japan (2020*), ROC (2020), South Africa (2020).
Fewest appearances, winning a title
3, Netherlands (2008).
Fewest appearances, finishing in the top two
2, Greece (2004*).
Fewest appearances, winning a medal
2, Greece (2004*).
Fewest appearances, finishing in the top four
2, Greece (2004*).

Top four edit

Most titles won
3, United States (2012, 2016, 2020).
Most second-place finishes
2, United States (2000, 2008), Spain (2012, 2020).
Most third-place finishes
2, Australia (2008, 2012), Russia (2000, 2016).
Most fourth-place finishes
3, Hungary (2008, 2012, 2016).
Most finishes in the top two
5, United States (2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Most finishes in the top two, never winning a title
2, Spain (2012, 2020).
Most finishes in the top three
6, United States (has been medaled in every tournament).
Most finishes in the top three, never winning a title
2, Russia (2000, 2016), Spain (2012, 2020).
Most finishes in the top three, never finishing in the top two
2, Russia (2000, 2016).
Most finishes in the top four
6, United States (has finished in the top four in every tournament).
Most finishes in the top four, never winning a title
4, Hungary (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Most finishes in the top four, never finishing in the top two
4, Hungary (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Most finishes in the top four, never winning a medal
1, ROC (2020).
Fewest finishes in the top two, winning a title
1, Australia (2000*), Netherlands (2008).
Fewest finishes in the top three, winning a title
1, Netherlands (2008).
Fewest finishes in the top three, finishing in the top two
1, Greece (2004*), Netherlands (2008).
Fewest finishes in the top four, winning a title
2, Netherlands (2000, 2008), Italy (2004, 2016).
Fewest finishes in the top four, finishing in the top two
1, Greece (2004*).
Fewest finishes in the top four, winning a medal
1, Greece (2004*).

Consecutive edit

Most consecutive titles won
3, United States (2012–2016–2020).
Most consecutive second-place finishes
None.
Most consecutive third-place finishes
2, Australia (2008–2012).
Most consecutive fourth-place finishes
3, Hungary (2008–2012–2016).
Most consecutive finishes in the top two
4, United States (2008–2012–2016–2020).
Most consecutive finishes in the top three
6, United States (has been medaled in every tournament).
Most consecutive finishes in the top four
6, United States (has finished in the top four in every tournament).
Most consecutive appearances
6, Australia, United States (have participated in every tournament).
Biggest improvement in position in consecutive tournaments
Did not participate/qualify, then won the title, Italy (2000–2004), Netherlands (2004–2008).

Gaps edit

Longest gap between successive titles
None.
Longest gap between successive second-place finishes
9 years, Spain (2012, 2020).
Longest gap between successive third-place finishes
16 years, Russia (2000, 2016).
Longest gap between successive fourth-place finishes
None.
Longest gap between successive appearances in the top two
12 years, Italy (2004–2016).
Longest gap between successive appearances in the top three
16 years, Russia (2000–2016).
Longest gap between successive appearances in the top four
16 years, Russia (2000–2016).
Longest gap between successive appearances
17 years, Canada (2004–2020).

Debuting teams edit

Best finish by a debuting team
Champions, Australia (2000*), Italy (2004).
Worst finish by a debuting team
10th position (last position), South Africa (2020).

Host teams edit

Best finish by host team
Champions: Australia (2000*).
Worst finish by host team
9th position, Japan (2020*).
Best finish by last host team
4th position, Australia (2004).
Worst finish by last host team
Did not participate/qualify, Great Britain (2016), Brazil (2020).
Worst finish by last host team that participates in the tournament
8th position (last position), Greece (2008).
Had its best performance as hosts
Champions, Australia (2000*).
Runners-up, Greece (2004*).
5th position, China (2008*).
8th position, Great Britain (2012*), Brazil (2016*).
9th position, Japan (2020*).
Had its worst performance as hosts
8th position, Great Britain (2012*), Brazil (2016*).
9th position, Japan (2020*).

Defending champions edit

Best finish by defending champions
Champions, United States (2016, 2020).
Worst finish by defending champions
Did not participate/qualify, Netherlands (2012).
Worst finish by defending champions that participates in the next tournament
6th position, Italy (2008).

Defending runners-up edit

Best finish by defending runners-up
Champions, United States (2012).
Worst finish by defending runners-up
Did not participate/qualify, Italy (2020).
Worst finish by defending runners-up that participates in the next tournament
8th position (last position), Greece (2008).

Population edit

Most populous country, participant
China (2020), 1,411,099,000 (source)
Least populous country, participant
Hungary (2020), 9,750,000 (source)
Most populous country, hosts
China (2008*), 1,324,655,000 (source)
Least populous country, hosts
Greece (2004*), 10,955,000 (source)
Most populous country, champions
United States (2020), 331,449,000 (source)
Least populous country, champions
Netherlands (2008), 16,446,000 (source)
Most populous country, runners-up
United States (2008), 304,375,000 (source)
Least populous country, runners-up
Greece (2004*), 10,955,000 (source)
Most populous country, third place
United States (2004), 293,046,000 (source)
Least populous country, third place
Hungary (2020), 9,750,000 (source)
Most populous country, fourth place
Australia (2004), 19,895,000 (source)
Least populous country, fourth place
Hungary (2016), 9,830,485 (source)

Player statistics edit

Age records edit

The following tables show the oldest and youngest players who competed in women's water polo at the Summer Olympics, and the oldest and youngest female Olympic medalists in water polo. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team

Appearance

Record Age of the
first Olympic
water polo match
Player Women's team Pos Date of birth Date of the
first Olympic
water polo match
Ref
Oldest Olympic debutante 41 years, 150 days Camila Pedrosa   Brazil FP 12 March 1975 9 August 2016 [2]
Youngest female Olympian 16 years, 104 days Paula Leitón   Spain FP 27 April 2000 9 August 2016 [3]
Record Age of the
last Olympic
water polo match
Player Women's team Pos Date of birth Date of the
last Olympic
water polo match
Ref
Oldest female Olympian 41 years, 160 days Camila Pedrosa   Brazil FP 12 March 1975 19 August 2016 [2]

Medalist

Record Age of winning
the last Olympic
gold/silver/bronze
medal in water polo
Player Women's team Pos Date of birth Date of receiving
the last Olympic
gold/silver/bronze
medal in water polo
Ref
Oldest female Olympic gold medalist 36 years, 348 days Gillian van den Berg   Netherlands FP 8 September 1971 21 August 2008 [4]
Oldest female Olympic silver medalist 39 years, 183 days Maureen O'Toole   United States FP 24 March 1961 23 September 2000 [5]
Oldest female Olympic bronze medalist 33 years, 153 days Gabriella Szűcs   Hungary FP 7 March 1988 7 August 2021 [6]
Record Age of winning
the first Olympic
gold/silver/bronze
medal in water polo
Player Women's team Pos Date of birth Date of receiving
the first Olympic
gold/silver/bronze
medal in water polo
Ref
Youngest female Olympic gold medalist 17 years, 170 days Aria Fischer   United States FP 2 March 1999 19 August 2016 [7]
Youngest female Olympic silver medalist 16 years, 282 days Elena Ruiz   Spain FP 29 October 2004 7 August 2021 [8]
Youngest female Olympic bronze medalist 19 years, 22 days Maria Borisova   Russia FP 28 July 1997 19 August 2016 [9]

Multiple appearances (four-time Olympians) edit

 
American water polo player Heather Petri competed at four Olympics (2000–2012).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Eight female athletes competed in water polo at four or more Olympic Games between 2000 and 2020 inclusive.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
  • Apps – Appearances
Female athletes who competed in water polo at four or more Olympics
Apps Player Birth Height Women's team Pos Water polo tournaments Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 4 5 G S B T
4 Heather Petri 1978 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  United States FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(22/34)
1 2 1 4 [10]
Sofia Konukh 1980 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
  Russia FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(20/32)
0 0 1 1 [11]
Brenda Villa 1980 1.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
  United States FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(20/32)
1 2 1 4 [12]
Tania Di Mario 1979 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
  Italy FP 2004 2008 2012 2016 12 years
(25/37)
1 1 0 2 [13]
Bronwen Knox 1986 1.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
  Australia FP 2008 2012 2016 2020 13 years
(22/35)
0 0 2 2 [14]
Nadezhda Glyzina 1988 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Russia FP 2008 2012 2016 13 years
(20/33)
0 0 1 1 [15]
  ROC FP 2020
Evgenia Soboleva 1988 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  Russia FP 2008 2012 2016 13 years
(19/32)
0 0 1 1 [16]
  ROC FP 2020
Ekaterina Prokofyeva 1991 1.76 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Russia FP 2008 2012 2016 13 years
(17/30)
0 0 1 1 [17]
  ROC FP 2020
Apps Player Birth Height Women's team Pos 1 2 3 4 5 Period
(age of
first/last)
G S B T Ref
Water polo tournaments Medals

Multiple medalists edit

 
Brenda Villa of the United States won four Olympic medals in water polo between 2000 and 2012.

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Heather Petri and Brenda Villa, both representing the United States, are the only two female athletes to win four Olympic medals in water polo.[10][12]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Female athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo
Rk Player Birth Height Women's team Pos Water polo tournaments Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 4 5 G S B T
1 Heather Petri 1978 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  United States FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(22/34)
1 2 1 4 [10]
Brenda Villa 1980 1.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
  United States FP 2000 2004 2008 2012 12 years
(20/32)
1 2 1 4 [12]

Sources:

Multiple gold medalists edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Two female athletes won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo. They were both members of the United States women's national water polo team that won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Female athletes who won three or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
Rk Player Birth Height Women's team Pos Water polo tournaments Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 4 5 G S B T
1 Melissa Seidemann 1990 1.83 m
(6 ft 0 in)
  United States FP 2012 2016 2020 9 years
(22/31)
3 0 0 3 [18]
Maggie Steffens 1993 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
  United States FP 2012 2016 2020 9 years
(19/28)
3 0 0 3 [19]

Top goalscorers (one match) edit

 
Roser Tarragó of Spain is one of three female players to score seven goals in an Olympic match.

The following table is pre-sorted by date of the match (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Three female water polo players have each scored seven goals in an Olympic match.

The first woman to do so was Daniëlle de Bruijn, with the Netherlands women's national team in Beijing on 21 August 2008. She netted seven goals in the gold medal match, helping the Dutch team win the Olympics.[20]

The most recent female player to do so was Roser Tarragó, with Spain women's national team in Rio de Janeiro on 19 August 2016.[21]

Legend and abbreviation
  •   – Player's team drew the match
  •   – Player's team lost the match
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • G – Goals
  • aet – After extra time
  • pso – Penalty shootout
Female players with seven or more goals in an Olympic match
# G Player Birth Age Height L/R For Result Against Tournament Round Date Ref
1 7 Daniëlle de Bruijn 1978 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left   Netherlands 9–8   United States Beijing 2008 Gold medal match 21 Aug 2008 [20]
2 7 Maggie Steffens 1993 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   United States 14–13   Hungary London 2012 Preliminary round
Group A
30 Jul 2012 [22]
3 7 Roser Tarragó 1993 23 1.71 m
(5 ft 7 in)
Right   Spain 12–10   Australia Rio 2016 5th–6th place match 19 Aug 2016 [21]

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of goals scored by a female water polo player in a single Olympic match. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records:
Most goals scored by a female player, one match
Goals Achievement Year Player Age Height L/R Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
5 Set record 2004 Kyriaki Liosi 24 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
Right   Greece 26 August 2004 3 years, 361 days [23]
Tied record 2008 Kate Gynther 26 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right   Australia 17 August 2008 [24]
7 Broke record 2008 Daniëlle de Bruijn 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left   Netherlands 21 August 2008 15 years, 215 days [20]
Tied record 2012 Maggie Steffens 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   United States 30 July 2012 [22]
Tied record 2016 Roser Tarragó 23 1.71 m
(5 ft 7 in)
Right   Spain 19 August 2016 [21]

Top goalscorers (one tournament) edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of goals (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

Seven female players have scored 18 or more goals in an Olympic water polo tournament.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Dutch left-hander Simone van de Kraats scored 28 goals, setting the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in a single Olympic tournament.

Maggie Steffens of the United States is the first and only female water polo player to achieve this feat twice. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Steffens netted 21 goals. Nine years later, she scored 18 goals in Tokyo.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Female players with 18 or more goals in an Olympic tournament
Rk Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref
1 2020 Simone van de Kraats 2000 20 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left 28 7 4.000   Netherlands 6th of 10
teams
[25]
2 2012 Maggie Steffens 1993 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 21 6 3.500   United States 1st of 8
teams
[19]
3 2012 Ma Huanhuan 1990 22 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right 19 6 3.167   China 5th of 8
teams
[26]
4 2012 Tania Di Mario 1979 33 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right 18 6 3.000   Italy 7th of 8
teams
[27]
2020 Maddie Musselman 1998 23 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right 18 7 2.571   United States 1st of 10
teams
[28]
2020 Beatriz Ortiz 1995 26 1.76 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right 18 7 2.571   Spain 2nd of 10
teams
[29]
2020 Maggie Steffens (2) 1993 28 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 18 7 2.571   United States 1st of 10
teams
[19]
Rk Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193), 2020 (p. 234).
 
Daniëlle de Bruijn of the Netherlands scored 11 and 17 goals at the 2000 and 2008 Olympics, respectively.

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

At 19 years old, Maggie Steffens of the United States made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympics, where she was the youngest-ever female top goalscorer with 21 goals. She was also the top goalscorer at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with 17 goals.

Dutch left-handed player Daniëlle de Bruijn was the joint top goalscorer at the 2000 Olympics, with 11 goals. Eight years later she netted 17 goals, including seven goals in the gold medal match, becoming the top goalscorer at the 2008 Olympics.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Female players with the most goals in each Olympic tournament
Year Player Birth Age Height L/R Goals Matches
played
Goals
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref
2000 Daniëlle de Bruijn 1978 22 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left 11 7 1.571   Netherlands 4th of 6
teams
[30]
Bridgette Gusterson 1973 27 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right 7 1.571   Australia 1st of 6
teams
[31]
Sofia Konukh 1980 20 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 7 1.571   Russia 3rd of 6
teams
[32]
2004 Tania Di Mario 1979 25 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right 14 6 2.333   Italy 1st of 8
teams
[27]
2008 Daniëlle de Bruijn (2) 1978 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left 17 6 2.833   Netherlands 1st of 8
teams
[30]
2012 Maggie Steffens 1993 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 21 6 3.500   United States 1st of 8
teams
[19]
2016 Maggie Steffens (2) 1993 23 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right 17 6 2.833   United States 1st of 8
teams
[19]
2020 Simone van de Kraats 2000 20 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left 28 7 4.000   Netherlands 6th of 10
teams
[25]

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193), 2020 (p. 234).

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of goals scored by a female water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Last updated: 12 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Historical progression of records:
Most goals scored by a female player, one tournament
Goals Achievement Year Player Age Height L/R Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
11 Set record 2000 Daniëlle de Bruijn 22 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left   Netherlands 23 September 2000 3 years, 338 days [30]
Bridgette Gusterson 27 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Right   Australia [31]
Sofia Konukh 20 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   Russia [32]
14 Broke record 2004 Tania Di Mario 25 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right   Italy 26 August 2004 3 years, 361 days [27]
17 Broke record 2008 Daniëlle de Bruijn (2) 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left   Netherlands 21 August 2008 3 years, 354 days [30]
21 Broke record 2012 Maggie Steffens 19 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   United States 9 August 2012 8 years, 363 days [19]
28 Broke record 2020 Simone van de Kraats 20 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
Left   Netherlands 7 August 2021 2 years, 229 days [25]

Top goalscorers (all-time) edit

 
Kate Gynther of Australia scored 30 goals at three Olympics (2004–2012).

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total goals (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Three-time Olympian Maggie Steffens of the United States holds the record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player in Olympic history, with 56 goals.[33]

Italian Tania Di Mario netted 47 goals at four Olympics (2004–2016).[27]

Ma Huanhuan, representing China, holds the record for the most goals scored by an Asian female water polo player in Olympic history, with 37 goals at three Olympics (2008–2016).[26]

Kate Gynther of Australia netted 30 goals in 32 matches between 2004 and 2012.[34]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
All-time female players with 30 or more goals at the Olympics
Rk Player Birth Height L/R Women's team Total
goals
Total
matches
played
Goals
per
match
Tournaments
(goals)
Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 4 G S B T
1 Maggie Steffens 1993 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   United States 56 19 2.947 2012
(21)
2016
(17)
2020
(18)
9 years
(19/28)
3 0 0 3 [33]
2 Tania Di Mario 1979 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right   Italy 47 23 2.043 2004
(14)
2008
(10)
2012
(18)
2016
(5)
12 years
(25/37)
1 1 0 2 [27]
3 Ma Huanhuan 1990 1.78 m
(5 ft 10 in)
Right   China 37 17 2.176 2008
(7)
2012
(19)
2016
(11)
8 years
(18/26)
0 0 0 0 [26]
4 Sofia Konukh 1980 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   Russia 31 22 1.409 2000
(11)
2004
(9)
2008
(7)
2012
(4)
12 years
(20/32)
0 0 1 1 [32]
5 Brenda Villa 1980 1.63 m
(5 ft 4 in)
Right   United States 31 23 1.348 2000
(9)
2004
(7)
2008
(9)
2012
(6)
12 years
(20/32)
1 2 1 4 [35]
6 Kate Gynther 1982 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
Right   Australia 30 17 1.765 2004
(7)
2008
(13)
2012
(10)
8 years
(22/30)
0 0 2 2 [34]

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 53), 2008 (p. 54), 2012 (p. 345), 2016 (p. 193).

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total goals scored by a female water polo player at the Summer Olympics. Last updated: 7 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Historical progression of records:
Most goals scored by a female player, all-time
Total
goals
Achievement Year Player Age Height L/R Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
20 Set record 2004 Sofia Konukh 24 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   Russia 26 August 2004 3 years, 361 days [32]
28 Broke record 2008 Daniëlle de Bruijn 30 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Left   Netherlands 21 August 2008 3 years, 354 days [30]
42 Broke record 2012 Tania Di Mario 33 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right   Italy 9 August 2012 4 years, 10 days [27]
47 Broke record 2016 Tania Di Mario (2) 37 1.68 m
(5 ft 6 in)
Right   Italy 19 August 2016 4 years, 353 days [27]
56 Broke record 2020 Maggie Steffens 28 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Right   United States 7 August 2021 2 years, 229 days [33]

Top goalkeepers (one match) edit

 
Alicia McCormack of Australia saved 15 shots in a match in 2008.

The following table is pre-sorted by date of the match (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Five female water polo goalkeepers have each saved fifteen or more shots in an Olympic match.

The first woman to do so was Patrícia Horváth, with Hungary women's national team in Beijing. She blocked 19 shots on 11 August 2008, setting the record for the most shots saved by a female water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match.

The most recent female goalkeeper to do so was Yang Jun, with China women's national team in Rio de Janeiro on 19 August 2016.

Legend and abbreviation
Female goalkeepers with fifteen or more saves in an Olympic match
# Saves Goalkeeper Birth Age Height For Result Against Tournament Round Date Ref
1 19 Patrícia Horváth 1977 30 1.83 m
(6 ft 0 in)
  Hungary 11–9   Netherlands Beijing 2008 Preliminary round
Group B
11 Aug 2008 ORB 2008
(p. 17)
2 15 Alicia McCormack 1983 25 1.67 m
(5 ft 6 in)
  Australia 8–9   United States Semi-finals 19 Aug 2008 ORB 2008
(p. 35)
3 16 Elena Gigli 1985 27 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
  Italy 4–7   Russia London 2012 Preliminary round
Group B
1 Aug 2012 ORB 2012
(p. 302)
4 15 Tess Oliveira 1987 29 1.65 m
(5 ft 5 in)
  Brazil 4–11   Australia Rio 2016 Classification round
5th–8th place
17 Aug 2016 ORB 2016
(p. 170)
5 16 Yang Jun 1988 28 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  China 10–5   Brazil 7th–8th place match 19 Aug 2016 ORB 2016
(p. 178)

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a female water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • ORB – Official Results Books
Historical progression of records:
Most shots saved by a female goalkeeper, one match
Saves Achievement Year Goalkeeper Age Height Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
12 Set record 2000 Bernice Orwig 23 1.82 m
(6 ft 0 in)
  United States 18 September 2000 3 years, 337 days ORB 2000
(p. 114)
14 Broke record 2004 Jacqueline Frank 24 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  United States 20 August 2004 3 years, 357 days ORB 2004
(p. 24)
19 Broke record 2008 Patrícia Horváth 30 1.83 m
(6 ft 0 in)
  Hungary 11 August 2008 15 years, 225 days ORB 2008
(p. 17)

Top goalkeepers (one tournament) edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of saves (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Six female goalkeepers have saved 50 or more shots in an Olympic water polo tournament.

Giulia Gorlero of Italy holds the record for the most saves by a female water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament, blocking 65 shots in the 2016 edition.

At the 2016 Summer Games, Ashleigh Johnson saved 51 shots, including nine in the gold medal match, helping the American team win the Olympics. She is the most efficient one among these six goalkeepers.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
  • 64.6% – Highest save efficiency
Female goalkeepers with 50 or more saves in an Olympic tournament
Rk Year Goalkeeper Birth Age Height Saves Shots Eff % MP Saves
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref
1 2016 Giulia Gorlero 1990 25 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
65 106 61.3% 6 10.833   Italy 2nd of 8
teams
[36]
2 2012 Elena Gigli 1985 27 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
56 105 53.3% 6 9.333   Italy 7th of 8
teams
[37]
3 2016 Yang Jun 1988 28 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
55 118 46.6% 6 9.167   China 7th of 8
teams
[38]
4 2012 Rosemary Morris 1986 26 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
54 113 47.8% 6 9.000   Great Britain 8th of 8
teams
[39]
5 2012 Elizabeth Armstrong 1983 29 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
53 101 52.5% 6 8.833   United States 1st of 8
teams
[40]
6 2016 Ashleigh Johnson 1994 21 1.86 m
(6 ft 1 in)
51 79 64.6% 6 8.500   United States 1st of 8
teams
[41]

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 49), 2008 (p. 50), 2012 (p. 341), 2016 (p. 195).

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

At the 2004 Summer Games, Jacqueline Frank saved 41 shots, including seven in the bronze medal match, helping the United States win the match.

Giulia Gorlero of Italy blocked 65 shots at the 2016 Olympics, helping the Italian team win the Olympic silver medal.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • MP – Matches played
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Female goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament
Year Goalkeeper Birth Age Height Saves Shots Eff % MP Saves
per
match
Women's team Finish Ref
2000 Karla Plugge 1968 31 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
45 81 55.6% 7 6.429   Netherlands 4th of 6
teams
[42]
2004 Jacqueline Frank 1980 24 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
41 68 60.3% 5 8.200   United States 3rd of 8
teams
[43]
2008 Elizabeth Armstrong 1983 25 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
49 92 53.3% 5 9.800   United States 2nd of 8
teams
[40]
2012 Elena Gigli 1985 27 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
56 105 53.3% 6 9.333   Italy 7th of 8
teams
[37]
2016 Giulia Gorlero 1990 25 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
65 106 61.3% 6 10.833   Italy 2nd of 8
teams
[36]

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 49), 2008 (p. 50), 2012 (p. 341), 2016 (p. 195).

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a female water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Historical progression of records:
Most shots saved by a female goalkeeper, one tournament
Saves Achievement Year Goalkeeper Age Height Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
45 Set record 2000 Karla Plugge 31 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  Netherlands 23 September 2000 7 years, 333 days [42]
49 Broke record 2008 Elizabeth Armstrong 25 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
  United States 21 August 2008 3 years, 354 days [40]
56 Broke record 2012 Elena Gigli 27 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)
  Italy 9 August 2012 4 years, 10 days [37]
65 Broke record 2016 Giulia Gorlero 25 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  Italy 19 August 2016 7 years, 217 days [36]

Top goalkeepers (all-time) edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total saves (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Yang Jun of China holds the record for the most shots saved by a female water polo goalkeeper at the Olympics, with 138 saves at three Olympics (2008–2016).

Elizabeth Armstrong, representing the United States, blocked 102 shots at two Olympics (2008–2012).

Legend
  •     – Hosts
All-time female goalkeepers with 100 or more saves at the Olympics
Rk Goalkeeper Birth Height Women's team Total
saves
Total
matches
played
Saves
per
match
Tournaments
(saves)
Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 G S B T
1 Yang Jun 1988 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  China 138 17 8.118 2008
(39)
2012
(44)
2016
(55)
8 years
(20/28)
0 0 0 0 [38]
2 Elizabeth Armstrong 1983 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
  United States 102 11 9.273 2008
(49)
2012
(53)
4 years
(25/29)
1 1 0 2 [40]

Source:

  • Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (pp. 96–101), 2004 (p. 49), 2008 (p. 50), 2012 (p. 341), 2016 (p. 195).

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total shots saved by a female water polo goalkeeper at the Summer Olympics. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
Historical progression of records:
Most shots saved by a female goalkeeper, all-time
Total
saves
Achievement Year Goalkeeper Age Height Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
53 Set record 2008 Georgia Ellinaki 34 1.74 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Greece 21 August 2008 3 years, 354 days [44]
102 Broke record 2012 Elizabeth Armstrong 29 1.88 m
(6 ft 2 in)
  United States 9 August 2012 4 years, 10 days [40]
138 Broke record 2016 Yang Jun 28 1.80 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  China 19 August 2016 7 years, 217 days [38]

Top sprinters (one tournament) edit

 
Jennifer Pareja of Spain was the joint top sprinter in 2012.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of sprints won (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of sprints contested (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 13 August 2021.

Four female players have won 20 or more sprints in an Olympic water polo tournament.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Vanda Vályi won 27 sprints, helping Hungary win bronze. She is the most efficient one among these four sprinters.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
  • 96.4% – Highest efficiency
Female players with 20 or more sprints won in an Olympic tournament
Rk Year Sprinter Birth Age Height Sprints
won
Sprints
contested
Eff % Women's team Finish Note Ref
1 2020 Vanda Vályi 1999 21 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
27 28 96.4%   Hungary 3rd of 10
teams
[45]
2 2004 Kyriaki Liosi 1979 24 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
21 23 91.3%   Greece 2nd of 8
teams
[46]
3 2012 Kate Gynther 1982 30 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
21 24 87.5%   Australia 3rd of 8
teams
[47]
2012 Jennifer Pareja 1984 28 1.74 m
(5 ft 9 in)
21 24 87.5%   Spain 2nd of 8
teams
[48]

Source:

The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of sprints contested (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 13 August 2021.

Kate Gynther, captain of the Australia women's national team, and Jennifer Pareja, captain of the Spain women's national team, were the joint top sprinters at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Hungarian Vanda Vályi won 27 sprints, setting the record for the most sprints won by a female water polo player in a single Olympic tournament.

Legend and abbreviation
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
  • Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
Female players with the most sprints won in each Olympic tournament
Year Sprinter Birth Age Height Sprints
won
Sprints
contested
Eff % Women's team Finish Note Ref
2000 Tatiana Petrova 1973 27 1.62 m
(5 ft 4 in)
16 22 72.7%   Russia 3rd of 8
teams
[49]
2004 Kyriaki Liosi 1979 24 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
21 23 91.3%   Greece 2nd of 8
teams
[46]
2008 Wang Yi 1987 21 1.79 m
(5 ft 10 in)
18 19 94.7%   China 5th of 8
teams
[50]
2012 Kate Gynther 1982 30 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
21 24 87.5%   Australia 3rd of 8
teams
[47]
Jennifer Pareja 1984 28 1.74 m
(5 ft 9 in)
24 87.5%   Spain 2nd of 8
teams
[48]
2016 Rachel Fattal 1993 22 1.73 m
(5 ft 8 in)
17 23 73.9%   United States 1st of 8
teams
[51]
2020 Vanda Vályi 1999 21 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
27 28 96.4%   Hungary 3rd of 10
teams
[45]

Source:

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of sprints won by a female water polo player in a single Olympic tournament. Last updated: 13 August 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records:
Most sprints won by a female player, one tournament
Sprints
won
Achievement Year Sprinter Age Height Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
16 Set record 2000 Tatiana Petrova 27 1.62 m
(5 ft 4 in)
  Russia 23 September 2000 3 years, 338 days [49]
21 Broke record 2004 Kyriaki Liosi 24 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
  Greece 26 August 2004 19 years, 210 days [46]
Tied record 2012 Kate Gynther 30 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Australia 9 August 2012 [47]
Tied record 2012 Jennifer Pareja 28 1.74 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Spain 9 August 2012 [48]
27 Broke record 2020 Vanda Vályi 21 1.81 m
(5 ft 11 in)
  Hungary 7 August 2021 2 years, 229 days [45]

Top sprinters (all-time) edit

The following table is pre-sorted by number of total sprints won (in descending order), number of total sprints contested (in ascending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 15 May 2021.

Australian Kate Gynther holds the record for the most sprints won by a female water polo player at the Olympics, with 39 sprints won at three Olympics (2004–2012).

Wang Yi of China won 35 sprints in two Olympic tournaments between 2008 and 2012.

Legend and abbreviation
  •     – Hosts
  • Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
All-time female players with 30 or more sprints won at the Olympics
Rk Sprinter Birth Height Women's team Total
Sprints
won
Total
Sprints
contested
Eff % Water polo tournaments
(sprints won / contested)
Period
(age of
first/last)
Medals Ref
1 2 3 4 5 G S B T
1 Kate Gynther 1982 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Australia 39 58 67.2% 2004
(5/8)
2008
(13/26)
2012
(21/24)
8 years
(22/30)
0 0 2 2 [47]
2 Wang Yi 1987 1.79 m
(5 ft 10 in)
  China 35 47 74.5% 2008
(18/19)
2012
(17/28)
4 years
(21/25)
0 0 0 0 [50]

Source:

The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total sprints won by a female water polo player at the Summer Olympics. Last updated: 15 May 2021.

Legend
  •  Team  – Host team
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records:
Most sprints won by a female player, all-time
Total
Sprints
won
Achievement Year Sprinter Age Height Women's team Date Duration of record Ref
21 Set record 2004 Kyriaki Liosi 24 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
  Greece 26 August 2004 3 years, 357 days [46]
28 Broke record 2008 Kyriaki Liosi 28 1.70 m
(5 ft 7 in)
  Greece 17 August 2008 3 years, 358 days [46]
39 Broke record 2012 Kate Gynther 30 1.75 m
(5 ft 9 in)
  Australia 9 August 2012 11 years, 227 days [47]

All-star teams by tournament edit

This is a summary of women's Olympic all-star teams by tournament. Last updated: 1 April 2021.

Legend and abbreviation
  • Player – Player who won the tournament with her team
  • LH – Left-handed
  • Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Women's Olympic all-star teams by tournament (since 2004)
Year Most Valuable Player All-star team Ref
2004   Italy
Tania Di Mario
Right side player
1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Goalkeeper   Georgia Ellinaki (40 saves, 54.8%) [52]
Field players   Tania Di Mario (14 goals, 7 sprints won)   Rita Drávucz (7 goals, 6 sprints won)
  Kyriaki Liosi (9 goals, 21 sprints won)   Martina Miceli (9 goals)
  Evangelia Moraitidou (7 goals)   Brenda Villa (7 goals)
2008 Goalkeeper   Patrícia Horváth (43 saves, 55.8%) [53]
Field players   Daniëlle de Bruijn (LH, 17 goals, 15 sprints won)   Elisa Casanova (LH, 7 goals)
  Gao Ao (11 goals)   Bronwen Knox (12 goals)
  Jessica Steffens (5 goals)   Ágnes Valkai (7 goals, 10 sprints won)
2012   United States
Maggie Steffens[54]
Left side player
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Goalkeeper   Elizabeth Armstrong (53 saves, 52.5%) [55]
[56]
Field players   Barbara Bujka (LH, 12 goals)   Anni Espar (15 goals)
  Holly Lincoln-Smith (5 goals)   Jennifer Pareja (12 goals, 21 sprints won)
  Maggie Steffens (21 goals)   Nicola Zagame (12 goals, 4 sprints won)
2016   United States
Maggie Steffens (2)[54]
Left side player
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Goalkeeper   Ashleigh Johnson (51 saves, 64.6%) [57]
Field players   Barbara Bujka (LH, 15 goals)   Arianna Garibotti (12 goals)
  Rita Keszthelyi (14 goals, 10 sprints won)   Maddie Musselman (12 goals)
  Ashleigh Southern (14 goals)   Maggie Steffens (17 goals, 1 sprints won)
Year Most Valuable Player All-star team Ref

Olympic and world champions (players) edit

Olympic champion families edit

Coach statistics edit

Most successful coaches edit

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

There are three coaches who led women's national water polo teams to win two or more Olympic medals.

Guy Baker guided the United States women's national team to three Olympic medals in a row between 2000 and 2008.[58][59]

Adam Krikorian coached the United States women's national team to two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.[60][59]

Greg McFadden led Australia women's national team to win two consecutive Olympic bronze medals in 2008 and 2012.[61]

Legend
  •     – Hosts
Head coaches who led women's national teams to win two or more Olympic medals
Rk Head coach Nationality Birth Age Women's team Tournaments
(finish)
Period Medals Ref
1 2 3 G S B T
1 Guy Baker   United States   United States 2000
(2nd)
2004
(3rd)
2008
(2nd)
8
years
0 2 1 3 [58]
[59]
2 Adam Krikorian   United States 1974 38–42   United States 2012
(1st)
2016
(1st)
4
years
2 0 0 2 [60]
[59]
3 Greg McFadden   Australia 1964 43–51   Australia 2008
(3rd)
2012
(3rd)
2016
(6th)
8
years
0 0 2 2 [62]
[61]

Medals as coach and player edit

 
István Görgényi of Hungary won an Olympic medal in 1972, and then coached the Australia women's team to gold in 2000.

The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the person (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 31 March 2021.

As of 2016, two water polo players won Olympic medals and then guided women's national water polo teams to the Olympic podium as head coaches.

With the Hungary men's national water polo team, István Görgényi won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He was appointed head coach of the Australia women's national team in 1998. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he led the team to win the inaugural women's water polo gold medal.[63][64]

Spanish water polo player Miki Oca won a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Four years later, he won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As a head coach, he guided Spain women's national water polo team to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.[65]

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
Rk Person Birth Height Player Head coach Total medals Ref
Age Men's team Pos Medal Age Women's team Medal G S B T
1 Miki Oca 1970 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
22–26   Spain FP 1992*  , 1996   42   Spain 2012   1 2 0 3 [65]
2 István Görgényi 1946 1.87 m
(6 ft 2 in)
25   Hungary FP 1972   53   Australia 2000*   1 1 0 2 [63]
[64]

Olympic and world champions (coaches) edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "HistoFINA – Water polo medalists and statistics" (PDF). fina.org. FINA. September 2019. p. 56. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Camila Pedrosa". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Paula Leitón". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Gillian van den Berg". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Maureen O'Toole". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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  12. ^ a b c "Brenda Villa". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Tania Di Mario". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Bronwen Knox". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Nadezhda Glyzina". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
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  29. ^ "Beatriz Ortiz". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Daniëlle de Bruijn". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Bridgette Gusterson". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  32. ^ a b c d "Sofia Konukh". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  33. ^ a b c "Maggie Steffens". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Kate Gynther". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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  37. ^ a b c "Elena Gigli". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  38. ^ a b c "Yang Jun". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  39. ^ "Rosemary Morris". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  40. ^ a b c d e "Elizabeth Armstrong". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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  42. ^ a b "Karla Plugge". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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  46. ^ a b c d e "Kyriaki Liosi". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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  48. ^ a b c "Jennifer Pareja". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  49. ^ a b "Tatiana Petrova". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  50. ^ a b "Wang Yi". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  51. ^ "Rachel Fattal". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
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  54. ^ a b "Maggie STEFFENS Steffens". fina.org. FINA. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
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  56. ^ "USA Women Win GOLD! Team USA Tops Spain 8-5 In Olympic Games Final". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  57. ^ "Rio 2016: Egyesült Államok ismét a csúcson; két magyar az álomcsapatban". waterpolo.hu (in Hungarian). Hungarian Water Polo Federation. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  58. ^ a b "Guy Baker". USA Water Polo. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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  60. ^ a b "Adam Krikorian". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  61. ^ a b "Greg McFadden steps down as Head Coach". waterpoloaustralia.com.au. Water Polo Australia. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
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  63. ^ a b "István Görgényi". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  64. ^ a b "Hall of Fame Inductees". waterpoloaustralia.com.au. Water Polo Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  65. ^ a b "Miki Oca". olympedia.org. Olympedia. Retrieved 18 January 2021.

Sources edit

Official Results Books (IOC) edit

PDF documents in the LA84 Foundation Digital Library:

PDF documents on the FINA website:

PDF documents in the Olympic World Library:

PDF documents on the International Olympic Committee website:

Official Reports (FINA) edit

PDF documents on the FINA website:

Official website (IOC) edit

Water polo on the International Olympic Committee website:

Olympedia edit

Water polo on the Olympedia website:

Sports Reference edit

Water polo on the Sports Reference website:

Todor66 edit

Water polo on the Todor66 website:

External links edit