Canada's water polo men, women qualify for FINA world championships in June
Squads shine at World League event in Lima, also advance to July's Super Final
Canada will have men's and women's water polo entries at the FINA world championships in June.
The women compiled a 5-1 record at the FINA World League Intercontinental Cup, capturing a silver medal after dropping its only match to eventual champion Australia while defeating the powerful United States in a 6-5 thriller in Lima.
Canada head coach David Paradelo, whose team lost 16-5 to the Americans in the quarter-finals of its first Olympic appearance since 2004 last August in Tokyo, reminded his players work remains ahead of worlds and the FINA World League Super Final in July.
"Our performance in the pool was not quite up to our expectations. We were able to put in place the foundations for our development as a team without finding the level of cohesion and consistency we had hoped for during the week," Paradelo said in a statement to Water Polo Canada. "However, five new athletes had the opportunity to gain experience playing their first senior international tournament which will be crucial in the long-term development of our program.
"We finish this tournament more motivated than ever to start our summer program in two months.
1st world berth since 2017
The Canadian men finished fourth in Peru with a 4-3 record after failing to qualify for the past three Summer Olympics.
They reportedly matched the play of their opponent or dominated in Lima.
Head coach Patrick Oaten was impressed with the sharing of responsibility in the defensive end combined with a balanced scoring attack.
"This is the first time the men's program has qualified for the world championship or World League Super Final since 2017. This team deserves to be at these events," he said.
"I'm excited about the potential of this team and looking forward to watching the continued growth of the program."
In February 2021, the Canadian men posted a 1-5 record to finish eighth at an 11-team Olympic qualifier in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Before worlds in Budapest, Hungary, many of Canada's men and women will complete the season with their professional and university teams.
