Anni Espar
Personal information
Full name Anna Espar Llaquet
Born (1993-01-08) 8 January 1993
Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 67 kg (148 lb)
Position Driver
Handedness R
Club information
Current team CN Mataró
Number 3
National team
Years Team
2010–
 Spain
Medal record
Women's water polo
Representing  Spain
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 2 0
World Championships 1 3 0
European Championships 3 1 1
Total 4 6 1
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2012 LondonTeam
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoTeam
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 BarcelonaTeam
Silver medal – second place2017 BudapestTeam
Silver medal – second place2019 GwangjuTeam
Silver medal – second place2023 FukuokaTeam
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 Budapest
Gold medal – first place2020 Budapest
Gold medal – first place2022 Split
Silver medal – second place2024 Eindhoven
Bronze medal – third place2018 Barcelona

Anna Espar Llaquet (born 8 January 1993) is a Spanish water polo player who won the gold medal at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.[1] She also won the silver medal at the 2012[2] and 2020 Summer Olympics.[3]

College career

Espar joined the University of Southern California women's water polo team in 2012.[4] As a Freshman she was named to the ACWPC All-America First Team,[5] All-MPSF First Team,[6] MPSF All-Newcomer Team[6] and MPSF Player of the Week on 25 February after scoring 8 goals in her first major tournament as a Trojan.[7]

In 2013, she won the NCAA in the longest match in championship game history.[8] Espar scored the winning goal in the third sudden-death overtime period.[9]

International career

Espar played on the Spain national team which won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[2] She scored 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.[2]

In 2012 Espar was named Best European Female Water Polo Player by the LEN.[10]

Espar joined the Sidney Uni Lions women's water polo team in 2017 winning the Australian League and ending with an unprecedented undefeated season for the Lions (23 wins and a draw in 24 matches). Espar was also named to the 2017 NWPL All Star Team.[11]

Espar also played on the Spanish national team which won the silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[3] She scored again 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team for the second time in her career.[12]

Family

Espar's younger sister, Clara, is also a professional water polo player.

International competitions

  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2011 FINA Junior World Championships, Trieste, Italy, 1st place.[13]
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2012 Olympic Games, London, United Kingdom, 2nd place.
  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2013 FINA World Championships, Barcelona, Spain, 1st place.
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2013 FINA Junior World Championships, Volos, Greece, 2nd place.[14]
  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2014 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.[15]
  • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2014 FINA World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, 3rd place.[16]
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2016 FINA World League, Shanghai, China, 2nd place.[17]
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2017 FINA World Championships, Budapest, Hungary, 2nd place.[18]
  • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2018 LEN Europa Cup, Pontevedra, Spain, 3rd place.
  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2018 Mediterranean Games, Tarragona, Spain, 1st place.[19]
  • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2018 European Championship, Barcelona, Spain, 3rd place.
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 2nd place.[20]
  • 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2020 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.
  • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan, 2nd place.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Spain wins women's water polo title". ESPN. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "USA Women Win GOLD! Team USA Tops Spain 8–5 In Olympic Games Final". USA Water Polo. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 Brennan, Christine (7 August 2021). "US women's water polo team wins third straight Olympic gold, dominates Spain". USA Today. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. ↑ Anni Espar Archived 26 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine– University of Southern California athlete profile at USCtrojans.com
  5. ↑ "Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches 2013 All-American Teams" collegewaterpolocoach.org July 2013.
  6. 1 2 "All-MPSF Women's Water Polo" Archived 11 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine mpsports.org 1 May 2013
  7. ↑ "USC Wins UC Irvine Tournament" Archived 11 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine mpsports.org 25 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "USC Outlasts Stanford 10–9 In Five Overtimes To Claim 2013 NCAA Championship" usawaterpolo.org 12 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Espar scores in third sudden death to secure third national title for USC" Archived 24 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine ncaa.com 9 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Boskovic and Espar European Players of the Year" Archived 17 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine waterpoloworld.com 24 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "SYDNEY LIONS CLAIM BACK TO BACK NWPL TITLES" waterpoloaustralia.com.au 9 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Olympic history repeats — USA's third gold medal". FINA Official website. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Spain on the top of the world" Archived 24 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine FINA.org 18 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "USA takes gold after 9–7 win over Spain" Archived 27 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine FINA.org 25 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "World champions Spain also claim European Title" Archived 26 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine waterpoloworld.com 24 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "USA retains World Cup crown with repeat win over Australia" FINA.org 17 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "USA crowned World League Champion for third consecutive year" FINA.org 12 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Day 7 Women's Water Polo: USA rolls Spain for fifth world crown" FINA.org 28 July 2017.
  19. ↑ “Serbia and Spain reign the Mediterranean” waterpology.com 1 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Day 7: Women's Water Polo: USA shoots down Spain for historic sixth crown". FINA.org. 26 July 2019.
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