Another Spain in the heights: women's water polo, to the World Cup final

Four veterans, Laura Esther, Maica García, Pili Peña and Anni Espar, who gather the young women and remind them that there was a time when Spain didn't even go to the Olympic Games, that it couldn't qualify, that women's water polo didn't existed in the country. There are anecdotes and more anecdotes about the celebration of the first Olympic ticket, in Italy, back in 2012, when the team had to defeat Greece, then world champion.. Elena Ruiz, for example, who is only 18 years old, hallucinates. That seems like prehistory. That is why both of them celebrated Spain's victory this Wednesday against Australia in the semifinals of the Fukuoka World Cup (12-10) in a different way.

For the majors it meant the safe presence in the Paris 2024 Games. For the youngest, one more step, just one more step, in search of a coveted title. The team reached its fourth final in the last six World Cups, blessed routine, and with the Olympic ticket in his pocket, this Friday -11:00 am, Teledeporte- will look for the second gold in its history. This time, for the first time, the United States will not be ahead, the black beast, the protagonist of so many nightmares.. After the 'yankee' elimination in the quarterfinals, the rival team will be the Netherlands, the second reason for the illusion.

The first is the form of a group that, always on top since 2012, has had better and worse tournaments, streaks of different signs. Under the guidelines of Miki Oca, the generational change has had gaps, but one can already speak of a perfect balance. The veterans of those beginnings know their role, normally secondary -perhaps only with the exception of García-, and the young ones already take the reins.

Against Australia it became clear again that this team is the team of Ruiz herself, who scored four goals and was MVP, of Judith Forca, very accurate throughout the World Cup -in fact, she is the top scorer- or of Martina Terré in goal . Spain dominated throughout the match as they climbed into the arms of Ruiz and Forca and if they suffered it was only in the final minutes when they had to ensure victory. There appeared Terré, heir to Laura Ester, only 21 years old, and a goal from Bea Ortiz on the counterattack that wiped out the hope of Australia.