Dual Olympian and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Women’s Water Polo Head Coach Rebecca Rippon, has been appointed the first female Olympic Head Coach of the Australian Women’s Water Polo by Water Polo Australia.

Rippon, who has served as the Assistant Coach to the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers including at the Tokyo Olympic Games as well as the last three World Championships campaigns, will take on the Head Coach role and lead the team through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Rippon said she is excited to be named the first female Olympic Head Coach of the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers.

“I feel extremely honoured to be in this position and I just can’t wait to continue working with the staff and players in the lead up to the World Championships and the Paris Olympics.

“I am proud but also humbled to be the first female Head Coach of the Olympic team. I am aware that I am in this position now but that there are many strong female coaches who are giving so much to our sport in many squads and programs around the country,” she said.

Rippon said she’s eager to hit the ground running and the squad has their sights firmly set on maximising their time in the lead up to the Paris Olympic Games.

“I have worked with this group across many different campaigns and the exciting part is that they are driven and motivated.

“The players want to work hard and they want to be better all the time. I also really love that it is also a diverse group who see the world and the sport through different lenses.

“The main focus for us is determining who we are in the pool and out of the pool. We can zone in and work hard on who we are as the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers and the way that we want to play the game. We want to work hard on that so we can stay true to those areas no matter what we come up against,” she said.

Having been part of two Olympic Games and earning more than 200 caps for Australia, Rippon knows first hand what the players are about to face over the next eight months.

“I have lived experience in what they are going through and what they are about to go through. I understand what it feels like to be in their positions as they go through everything over the next eight months.

“It is going to be hard physically and mentally as they fight for selection individually yet being pushed to work together to produce our best water polo.

“None of that is going to change when you are in a high-performance environment, but having the awareness of what they are going through means we can support them to be at their best in and out of the pool,” she said.

Water Polo Australia Acting CEO Mr Welsford said he was incredibly proud to announce Australia’s first ever female Olympic Head Coach of the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers.

“We are pleased to have dual Olympian Rebecca Rippon appointed as the Head Coach of the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers.

“Rebecca, an Olympic bronze medalist who played 266 test matches for Australia has also served as Assistant Coach at the Tokyo Olympic Games as well as the last three World Championships campaigns.

“With just over 220 days to go until the Paris Olympics, Rebecca is the right person to lead our Australian women’s team having been part of our Olympic program over many years.

“She has coached at every level of our sport including Australian Waterpolo League, currently serving as the NSWIS Head Coach, Australian national age group teams as well as giving her time to key grassroots programs such as Water Polo NSW’s ‘Girls Making Waves’.

“Having been part of the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers coaching team since 2019, we are confident that Rebecca will be able to successfully lead the squad through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and continue to build the momentum the team has created since Tokyo,” he said.

The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers will play three green and gold test matches in Brisbane in January 2024 as part of their selection for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha.  It will be an important stepping stone for the team on the road towards the Paris Olympic Games.

Article courtesy of Water Polo Australia

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