South Africa’s Madibaz water polo contingent described competing in the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo as the “experience of a lifetime”.
The Madibaz water polo contingent of, from left, Ashleigh Vaughan, Meghan Maartens and coach Delaine Mentoor arrive back in Gqeberha from the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Full Stop Communications
Delaine Mentoor, who received plaudits as the only female head coach at the Games, and players Meghan Maartens and Ashleigh Vaughan were part of the country’s first women’s water polo team at the Games.
Mentoor said it was difficult to put their experience into words, saying they had learnt some invaluable lessons.
She added that the team’s goal was to grow better with each game.
“That was achieved and defensively we got better, which showed in our last match when we limited the Australians, with great goalkeeping from Meghan.
“We learnt that we needed to work on our attack and we know we can achieve that.
“Players like Ashleigh [Vaughan] showed that we can put the ball in the back of the net past some of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
Maartens described her time in Tokyo as “amazing and beautiful”.
“Mixing with so many famous people was fantastic – everywhere you looked someone was taking a photo with someone else.”
She acknowledged the challenging nature of the competition.
“I have walked away with a lot of experience and knowledge, and with a different understanding of certain situations.
“The best memory in the pool was the Australia game. We didn’t win, but against one of the powerhouses of the world in our hearts it felt like we had won.”
Australia won 14-1 but only had the measure of their opponents in the second quarter when they netted six times in response to a single goal by Vaughan.
Vaughan, who said scoring the first goal for her country at the Games was a personal highlight, also acknowledged the privilege of seeing some of the world’s best sportsmen and women in action.
“What an amazing experience it was,” she said. “The hard work put into the Games and sacrifices people had to make to compete; it was really fantastic to see athletes performing at their peak.”