They put the loudspeaker on the ground this Tuesday before leaving the Olympic Village, and it rang Wild FillyPossessed like maenads, Maica, Pili, Martina, Paula, Elena, Bea, Nona and the others sang, shouted and danced in a wild ritual, as if on the threshold between two worlds, the primitive and hidden world, and the world of television, of the crowds, of the tournament, of the International Olympic Committee and of productive life. “That’s how we let go of nerves, tension, whatever,” says Bea Ortiz. “When the song ends, we all concentrate again, put on our headphones, grab our backpacks and go to the bus in silence to the stadium.”
In the indoor pool of the La Défense Arena in Paris, 15,000 people were waiting to watch as the truly wild Spanish fillies beat Canada 8-18 on Tuesday afternoon and moved on to the semi-finals of an Olympic water polo championship in which they have never stopped winning. On Thursday, they will face the Netherlands, the reigning European champions, in the semi-finals, after beating Italy 11-8.
The women’s water polo team is sailing through the waters of Paris without anyone being able to stop it so far. It is the team that has had the most shots on goal in the first phase of the tournament (124 shots and 51 goals), the one that crushed France 15-6, the one that won 11-13 against the United States, beat Greece 8-10 and defeated Italy 13-11. The same one that beat Canada in front of an unprecedented crowd, probably the largest in the history of water polo tournaments. “We had our moment of wonder” says Bea. “I don’t remember having played in front of so many people.”
At 29 years old, the player from Tarrassa occupies one of the places reserved for team leaders along with Anni Espar and captain Maica García. They have just won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games and after the setbacks experienced at the World Championships in Fukuoka and Doha, they have regenerated as a team to compete with more resources in Paris. The complicity is evident. “We are very strong, and this is because we have created a family,” explains Bea. “A very beautiful bond. We have changed our mentality. We trust a lot not only in ourselves, but in those around us. And we have changed the way we define ourselves, what we are, and so we have been able to show everyone else what we are capable of. We are warriors.”
Spain dominated Canada with its usual weapons, only more refined: mobility, dynamism, versatility, solidarity in defence and precision in passing and handling the ball. The girls play fast and clear, as if they had tar on their hands. The ball does not slip and they do not stop swimming against opponents who are too heavy to keep up with them in the 20-metre movements from field to field. Martina Terré stopped 12 of the 20 shots she received, including a penalty. The goalkeeper gained confidence and on the other side of the team, the young Elena Ruiz returned to pepper and score: seven shots, four goals.
“Goose hasn’t done anything!”
At the Italian headquarters, whose women’s team lost their match against the Netherlands minutes later, they declared the end of an era, certified the exhaustion of the coexistence between the players, and wondered how Miki Oca has managed to regenerate the Spanish team after winning a silver medal in London 2012 and another in Tokyo 2021. “Oca has done nothing!”, the Spanish coach replies, with his usual wit, without smiling. “Nothing! This is a group of girls who know what they want and work to get it. I’m not into their relationships. If they are good girls, why wouldn’t they have good chemistry with each other, if they also share interests?”
“I don’t remember how we were in London, it was a long time ago!” says Oca when asked to compare this team with the first one he took to the Games. “Honestly! I don’t remember. I only know that we are ready to compete and we can beat anyone and that we have rivals in front of us who also have their chances.”
Miki Oca in his purest form at the head of the wild fillies of Spain. The authentic ones.
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