Greece's U16 water polo team conquers world, defeats Spain for gold

Greece has achieved a historic victory at the U16 Water Polo World Championship in Zagreb, defeating defending champions Spain 11-7 in the final to claim the gold medal. The Greek U16 women's team delivered a commanding performance, avenging their loss to Spain in the previous year's European Championship final.

The athletes, coached by Argyro Theodoropoulos, maintained control throughout the match, effectively sealing the win in the third period by establishing a five-goal lead. Key to their triumph were the exceptional performance of Kontakou in goal and Tsiga's dominance at the two-meter position. Kontakou made numerous saves, while Tsiga drew fouls and penalties, also contributing significantly with her scoring.

This victory adds to Greece's U16 women's water polo history, marking their second World Championship medal after securing a silver in 2022. The team had already demonstrated their strength against Spain earlier in the tournament, winning their group stage match 8-5. The final saw Greece start strong, scoring with their first three shots to take an early 3-1 lead. Kontaku's penalty save further boosted the team's morale, and they extended their lead to 4-2 by the end of the first quarter. Manousaki scored twice in the second quarter, increasing the lead to 6-3, and Tsiga added another goal, making it 7-3. Despite Spain's attempts to close the gap in the second half, Lambropoulou scored to make it 10-5 by the end of the third period. Tsiga sealed the victory with a final impressive goal, securing the 11-6 scoreline before Greece maintained control to the end.