Australia’s ‘Stingers’ reach first Olympic water polo final in 24 years

Australia returned to the Olympic women’s water polo gold medal match for the first time in 24 years with a dramatic and shock shoot-out win over the United States in Thursday’s semi-final.

Australia will face Spain in Saturday’s final with a chance to win the country’s second gold — following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking team from the Sydney Games in 2000.

The Sydney Games was the first to include women’s water-polo after Olympic organisers responded to a long campaign led by Australian women players.

The USA, winners of the last three Olympic golds and considered by many to be the favourites again, had led 5-2 before the Aussies mounted their comeback.

The game finished 8-8 in regulation time before Australia took the shoot-out 6-5 to end their long wait for a shot at gold.

“I was four years old when they were last in the gold medal game, so it’s been a long time coming and I’m just so proud of the work that this entire program has put in to get us here,” said defender Bronte Halligan.

“It’s not just the 13 here, but it’s everyone back home, all the girls that have built this, all the young girls that are watching.

“I hope that we’re inspiring them for a next generation to come through because that’s what the Sydney girls did for an entire generation now. Hopefully we’re doing the same.”

USA head coach Adam Krikorian, who led the team to gold medal triumphs in London, Rio and Tokyo, said it was a rare feeling for his team.

“This is the first time we’ve had to feel this in some time,” he told reporters.

“This is the reality of life though, you don’t stand on top of the podium every single time. We lost to the better team today, honestly the Australians were so good, so resilient, so tough mentally and defensively,” he said.