The U.S. women’s water polo team is undoubtedly a heavy favorite to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics largely because it has done so for the past three Olympic Games.
The team, which trains in Long Beach, is determined to continue its winning streak, with the players leaning on each other, according to Maggie Steffens, the team’s captain and a three-time Olympic gold medalist .
“I know that I've been really empowered by these women and by other women in sports to use your voice, which can be a little scary at times,” Steffens said. “I was just calling for people to know my teammates and challenge them and empower them to maybe follow some of the more niche sports this Olympics, especially in women's sports."
Maddie Musselman, a UCLA graduate and Newport Beach native, who is aiming for her third gold medal after winning the 2020 and 2016 Olympic competitions, said, despite the Paris Olympics being her third Olympic Games, this time feels different because each player has a different story to tell.
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“It's been a long time coming,” Musselman said. “We've been able to mold those together to create such a team, a team story to share.”
The two-time gold medalist also acknowledged, having rapper Flava Flav becoming the team’s official “hype man” has brought more attention to the sport.
“I feel like everyone's been able to follow that and ask questions about it and to know more about our sport,” She said. “It shows not only what the past has done and our success has done, but also gets us really excited for the future and what this team can do here in Paris.
The rapper has signed a five-year sponsorship with the women’s water polo team.
Water polo in the U.S. has become more diverse with more minority athletes representing Team USA than ever before.
“I am excited about it. And I hope that the young kids who are looking up to us are excited about it, too,” said Ashleigh Johnson, who is considered one of the best water polo goal keepers in the world. “Our sport is dynamic. It's super fun, and it's becoming more and more representative of what we want to see. So I think that all types should be playing the sport and we want to push the sport to its limits.
Team USA women’s water polo is scheduled to take on Greece in its first Olympic competition on Saturday – with Flava Flav rooting for the team in Paris, of course.
