- Water polo stars need to break in their Olympic swimsuits
- Many female players wear tight, high-cut outfits.
- Australia to face Spain in Paris gold medal match
Australian water polo star Abby Andrews has shown what it takes to get players into their swimsuits at the Paris Olympics – and it doesn’t look comfortable.
On Instagram, the Stingers’ hero in the semi-final after four goals against the United States showed his followers in a funny way that it is not just a matter of stripping off and putting on a costume.
In the clip titled ‘POV: Breaking Out Your Olympic Suit,’ Andrews can also be seen going the extra mile with a teammate, providing insight that many fans weren’t aware of.
High-cut, tight-fitting swimsuits are essential to facilitate flexibility in the water and avoid giving rivals even the slightest advantage in matches.
Some players, as Andrews can attest in her video, have opted to wear swimsuits two or three sizes smaller than what they would normally wear in an attempt to make it harder for their opponents to get their hands under the edges.
In a physical sense, water polo is a brutal sport, with athletes demanding every muscle in their body and engaging in tough individual battles that can only be properly viewed through an underwater camera.
Whether treading water, swimming or throwing, players work all major muscle groups.
Underwater, away from the referee’s eyes, punches, kicks and scratches are common as competitors grab each other by any means possible.
On Instagram, the Stingers’ heroine in the semi-final after four goals against the USA amusingly showed her followers that it’s not just a matter of stripping off and putting on a costume (pictured)
Abby Andrews figures to be a key figure for the Stingers in their gold medal match against Spain at the Paris Games
This comes as the Stingers became the first Australian women’s team to reach the Olympic water polo final since the 2000 Games in Sydney.
Bec Rippon’s team are guaranteed at least a silver medal after winning bronze at the 2012 London Games.
“When we beat the United States in that final in Sydney, it was epic. I was a kid and I was there watching, and that really inspired Australia (as a nation) and Australians to play water polo,” Rippon said.
“I was one of them… we wanted to revive that and bring it back to Australia.
We are truly proud of what we have accomplished and look forward to creating our own legacy.
Andrews’ four third-period goals against America transformed the game, and goalkeeper Gabriella Palm was also immense.
Her decisive moment in the penalty shoot-out to deny American star Maddie Musselman sparked scenes of euphoria at La Defense Arena.
Spain, who are also unbeaten in Paris, beat the Netherlands 19-18 in another penalty shoot-out match and an exciting final will be played.
Gold medal game action kicks off at 11:35pm AEST on Saturday 10 August.
