How Aussie Stingers' Sydney 2000 gold continues to inspire at Tokyo Olympic Games

Lachlan McKirdy

How Aussie Stingers' Sydney 2000 gold continues to inspire at Tokyo Olympic Games image

As the Aussie Stingers prepare for their Olympic quarter-final against the Russian Olympic Committee, the memory and the legacy of the gold medal-winning team from Sydney 2000 remains strong.

When Yvette Higgins scored with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, the ensuing celebrations were one of the lasting memories of Sydney 2000. 

The footage of John and Janette Howard celebrating in the front row, the Stingers players' celebrations on the bench. It was a night full of emotion. 

Behind that emotion was years of hard work and dedication. Sydney 2000 was the first time women's water polo was played at the Olympics but it wasn't for a lack of trying. 

It's a story full of protests, heartbreak and eventually ecstasy. You can read our full look back on that moment here

But 21 years on, it's important to recognise the impact that moment had on the next generation of Australian water polo players. 

As the Australian Stingers take to the water tonight for their Tokyo Olympics quarter-final, that memory will be still in their minds. 

Australia has not won a gold medal in the event since Sydney 2000 and only have bronze medals in 2008 and 2012 to show for their efforts. 

For 23-year-old goalkeeper Gabi Palm, she wants to be a part of the team that creates a memory like that again. 

"The Stingers winning gold in the first Olympics that water polo was introduced for women, it’s the foundation of water polo in Australia," Palm told Sporting News before the Games.

"We always look back on that footage, we’re so fortunate that we’re able to interact with some of those golden girls.

"At the time, I was only 2 and had no idea what was going on. But even watching that footage now, every time I just get goosebumps. It’s so surreal and unreal to watch.

"Hopefully, we can build that history again in Tokyo and get gold for Australia."

Palm has been part of an Australian team that has the second-best defence in the Olympic competition. 

They have only conceded 33 goals going into the knockout phase, only the USA has conceded less with 26. 

But for Palm, goalkeeping wasn't always a natural fit. Neither really was water polo. It was a sport she stumbled into at a young age to try and make friends and she admits she thought it wasn't going to be for her.

"I got into water polo when I was 12 years. I was going into high school. It was a great way to meet new friends before starting school," Palm said.

"I didn’t really like the idea of water polo at the start, I’m not the best swimmer and I couldn’t think of anything worse. I tried it, I went to trials and thought I might just make the C team and make some friends.

"Nobody wanted to go into goalkeeper and I was tall so they said ‘Hey, can you give it a go?’. I just thought why not so I did and I got picked in the A team and it kinda went from there.

"When I was young, it’s when you fall in love with the game, that’s why you start playing.

"To have that raw love and passion for the sport and being so young, playing with your friends. It’s just where it all starts to build. As you grow older, you get better."

After being picked up by the Queensland Academy of Sport and going through the development pathways, it was clear that Palm had a big future at the sport. 

She vividly remembers watching the Stingers compete at Rio in 2016 and thinking that she would be there in Tokyo. She was going to leave no stone unturned to represent her country with the Olympic Rings on her chest. 

Palm spent a few months in Italy playing for a team to gain international experience. She won multiple medals at FINA World League cups in 2017 and 2018. 

She was also a bronze medalist at the 2018 FINA World Cup and FINA World Championships in 2019. 

While it seemed logical that she would be a part of the Tokyo Olympic team, the moment she got the call still had her overcome with emotion. 

"I remember being young and being told that goalkeepers usually don’t get picked for major tournaments until they’re a lot older," Palm said. 

"I was in the Junior team in 2016 when the Olympics were on and we were huddled around the phone and we were watching the girls play in Rio. It was just the atmosphere of the Olympics and what they were about

"I was starting to train a bit with the Stingers as they were preparing for Rio and I got this taste of the Olympics. I thought it was pretty cool and something that I could maybe do.

"I remember my heart racing, I had goosebumps. When my coach said the words and congratulated me for being selected, my mum was filming and I look back on it and I can see the raw emotion on my face. I was in tears and it was so surreal to finally hear the words from my coach that I was selected for an Olympic Games.

"I’ll never forget it, it still puts a big smile on my face thinking about it."

Palm is set to be a part of the Aussie Stingers side for a number of years to come. 

As a Queensland local, she's already got her sights set slightly on Brisbane 2032 and maybe representing her country at a home Olympics. 

But regardless of the result in Tokyo, she knows that representing her country at these Games is the highest honour and she can't wait to be part of a new legacy for water polo in Australia. 

"We train so many hard hours and we’re always striving to win a gold medal, so it’s definitely something we’re setting out to do," Palm said.

"We’re going to these Olympics and we have prepared so well and we’re very capable of doing that."

The Aussie Stingers take on the Russian Olympic Committee at 8.50 pm AEST on Tuesday, August 3 and you can catch all the action on 7plus.

 

Lachlan McKirdy

Lachlan McKirdy Photo