Tony Azevedo, perhaps the sport’s greatest player, leads a U.S. team that hasn’t medaled since ’88.
As you read this, there's a good chance Tony Azevedo and his buddies are neck-deep in water. Well, either there or lifting weights. To train for Olympic water polo, Azevedo, perhaps the best player in the world, and his American teammates spend as much as six hours a day in the water and another couple in the training room.
"The training is relentless," said Azevedo, a three-time college player of the year at Stanford. "But it's what you have to do."
It's what you have to do if you're hungry for an Olympic medal. And hungry to beat Hungary, the sport's powerhouse.
This could be the U.S. team's best shot ever.
The men have won five medals, but none lately. The United States took silver in 1924, 1932 and 1972 and bronze in 1984 and 1988.
But with Azevedo leading the way, the Americans have a chance.
"We feel we have a good shot," Azevedo told the Times this year. "This team has been together for a while, and that is important.
U.S. WOMEN: The prospects in Athens look much better for the women. Silver medalists at Sydney, they figure to be the ones to beat but are not a lock. The United States is ranked No.1 in the world but just barely ahead of Italy. And there is Australia, too.
This is the second Olympics to have women's water polo. In 2000, the Americans lost the gold 4-3 to Australia.
The U.S. team is led by Ellen Estes, the 2002 and 2003 USA Water Polo female athlete of the year. At last year's world championships, Estes had 13 goals, including a hat trick in the gold-medal victory against the Italians.
The United States also has Robin Beauregard, considered one of the top defenders in the world.
HUNGRY FOR WATER POLO: Simply the best. They are the New York Yankees of water polo. Put it this way: Every country is good at something, and strangely enough, Hungary is good at men's water polo. Actually, it is great at men's water polo.
Hungary has won a medal in the past 10 Olympics and, throughout history, has won seven golds, three silvers and three bronzes. It is the defending world champion and won gold at the 2000 Games.
However, the U.S. pulled off a stunning upset of the Hungarians last month, winning 11-9 in the FINA World League. Two days later, the Americans were on the verge of winning again, but a late rally gave Hungary an 11-8 victory.
But the United States sent notice it will be a serious contender at Athens.
"These are all very positive indicators," U.S. coach Ratko Rudic said on usawaterpolo.com. "We've shown that we can play on the same level as the best team in the world."
After the two matches, "This is the strongest I've seen the U.S. since 1997 when I started coaching Hungary," coach Denes Kemeny said on usawaterpolo.com. "They are very strong and much improved in the last eight years."
