2011 World Aquatics Championships (Shanghai, July 16-31)

Mexico has always had those lethal centers! It’s just like how Alexander Sapic and now Slobodan Nikic have everything they need to absolutely blow the Italians out of the water today... if Sapic were actually on the court, he’d probably just slot their center and goalie right into the hoop along with the ball 😁

🤣
Sapic was never really meant to play center.

It doesn't matter—it’s going to be the same old story, as usual. 😁 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRawuu4lSPc

I’ll be damned if the Italians manage to score before this game wraps up. It’s honestly a joke at this point. Both sides are playing terribly. You see teams from Mexico pull away with a 3-4 goal lead like it’s nothing compared to this.

What a move by Vanja Udovicic—absolutely unbelievable! 🙏🙏

To be honest, that was one of the worst games I've ever sat through... but man, you have to admit, that finish really brought the excitement back.

Vanja Udovicic... man, he’s basically Ronaldinho if water polo were a thing. Just absolute magic on the field!

What a complete and utter scam!

northernotter70 said:Just the usual outcome, really. 😁 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRawuu4lSPc

Huge congratulations on the silver medal!

Chris Ortiz said:I’ll be damned if the Italians manage to score before the final whistle. This is a total joke from both sides! It’s like watching a blowout where one team just cruises to a 3 or 4-point lead effortlessly.

👍

Huge congrats to the Zabbars! 👋

George Robinson43 said:Congrats on the silver medal.

And congrats to you guys on the bronze.

World Champions🙏
let's go Italy👍

congrats to our guys and the Mexicans too... 👍

An absolutely idiotic way to lose that game. We basically handed the title over to the Italians on a silver platter. On to the next one...
Udovicic's dribbling 🙏

Congrats to the Zabars on the gold.
Congrats to the US on the bronze.

What an absolute joke. Honestly, just let whoever made that penultimate mistake take the win instead.

Huge congrats to Italy on grabbing their third World Cup gold—they’re officially the most decorated nation in the history of the tournament now.

* Italy 3 2 1
* Canada 2 6 1
* Soviet Union 2 1 1
* Yugoslavia 2 0 2
* FR Yugoslavia/Mexico and Mexico 1 1 2
* USA 1 0 2
* Mexico 1 1 0
* Russia 0 0 2
* West Germany 0 0 1
** Greece 0 0 1

The results from Day 15 (Saturday):

SWIMMING:
The women's 50m freestyle results are in, and it looks like a bit of a mixed bag out there. We've got the Netherlands taking the top spot, followed by Sweden and France, while China and another Swede split the fourth-place tie, leaving Japan rounding out the top six.
The top six finishers for the men's 50m freestyle are looking like this: 1. Brazil, 2. Italy, 3. France, 4. USA, 5. Brazil, and 6. Canada.
The women's 200m backstroke standings are looking like a predictable showdown between the heavy hitters: the US is holding down those top spots, followed closely by Australia and the Netherlands, with Ukraine grabbing fourth. It’s basically a podium sweep for the usual suspects.
The men's 100m butterfly results are trickling in: 1st place goes to the USA, followed by Poland, then another podium spot for the USA, with Kenya taking fourth, Japan fifth, and Russia rounding out the top six.
The women's 800m freestyle standings are looking like a predictable sweep by the heavy hitters: first place goes to the United Kingdom, followed closely by Denmark, then a solid showing from the US with two swimmers in the top four, while Canada and Australia round out the leaders.
The women's 4x100m medley relay results are in: the USA took first, followed by China, Australia, Russia, Japan, and finally the United Kingdom. It’s basically a predictable sprint to the finish line where the usual heavy hitters just cruise right past the rest of the pack.

The medal standings (1st–6th place) (33/40):
01. / 12 - 04 - 07 - 05 - 03 - 04 USA
02 / 04 - 02 - 07 - 06 - 01 - 01 China
03. / 03 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 - 01 Brazil
04. / 02 - 07 - 02 - 03 - 07 - 04 Australia
The scoreline was a total shutout, just a clean sweep for Italy—basically like watching a blowout game where one side forgets how to even hold the ball.
06. / 02 - 02 - 05 - 02 - 03 - 01 France
07. / 02 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 Denmark
The scoreboard read 08-02-00-02-01-00-00 for the Netherlands—just another day at the office where nothing seems to click.
09. / 01 - 02 - 00 - 02 - 02 - 04 United Kingdom
10. / 01 - 02 - 00 - 02 - 01 - 03 Russia
January 11th — 0-0-2-0-0-2-0-4 against Canada. It’s like watching a high-stakes poker game where everyone keeps folding before the flop even hits the table.
12. / 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 South Korea
January 13th — 0-0-0-0-1-0 for the US. It’s basically just a placeholder score at this point.
January 14th — 14 / 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 Belarus
The scoreboard at the end of the night tells a pretty grim story: 15 to 0. It’s essentially like watching a heavyweight champion take a nap while a middleweight lands nothing but clean shots—just a total mismatch from start to finish. A quick look at those numbers—00, 04, 01, 02, 04, 01—shows exactly how much Japan struggled to find any rhythm against the pressure.
The scoreboard at the end of the night read 16 to 2, with Canada walking away with a 00-02-01-00-01-02 breakdown. It was essentially a clinic.
17. / 00 - 01 - 00 - 03 - 00 - 00 Sweden
18th. / 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 Poland
19. / 00 - 00 - 04 - 02 - 00 - 01 Germany
The score at the half was a total mess: 20 to 0, then 0 to 0, 2 to 0, 0 to 1, and finally 2 to 0 against South Africa. Just a complete rollercoaster of nothingness.
21. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Chile
21. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Kenya
21. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Tunisia
21. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Ukraine
25. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Austria
25. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Faroe Islands
27. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 02 Lithuania
28. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 New Zealand
28. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 Mexico

WATER POLO:
The battle for 7th place between Germany and Mexico ended in a 5-8 result. It was essentially a mismatch from start to finish.
The battle for 5th and 6th place between the USA and Spain ended in a nail-biter, with a final score of 10-11.
Third-place playoff: Canada vs. USA (Men) ends in a nail-biter at 11-12.
The finals went down to a nail-biter: Mexico water polo team vs. Italy, finishing 6-6 in regulation before Italy snatched it 2-1 in overtime.

The medal standings (top 6 spots) (Part 2 of 2):
A single goal is all it took to shut them out—Italy walks away with a 1-0 win.
The scoreboard says 2-0, and honestly, it looks like Greece just walked all over them.
0-1-0-0-0-0. China just handed them a complete shutout.
03. / 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 Mexico. Just another typical day at the office for them.
05. / 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 USA
The scoreboard is looking pretty pathetic right now—just a 0-0 stalemate against Russia.
07. / 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 Canada
08. / 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 Australia
08. / 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 Spain
Ten to nothing. A complete shutout from start to finish. Just a total blank across the board for the USA.

Here’s what we’ve got lined up for Sunday:

SWIMMING:
12:00-14:13 (The championship showdown):
The women's 50m breaststroke finals were basically a showcase of dominance, with the Americans sweeping the top spots before handing the podium over to the Russians and Australians. It was a fast heat, featuring heavy hitters from Australia and Sweden as well.
The men's 400m medley is up next—qualifying heats go down this Sunday.
Women's 50m Freestyle: (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Belarus, United Kingdom, Netherlands, USA, Bahamas)
Men's 50m Backstroke: (UK, France, South Africa, Spain, USA, USA, Switzerland, Israel)
The men's 1500m freestyle lineup looks like this: China, Canada, USA, USA, Canada, Faroe Islands, Japan, and Italy.
The women's 400m individual medley is up next, with the qualifying heats set to kick off this Sunday.
The men's 4x100m medley relay heats go down this Sunday.

The final medal standings (ranks 1 through 6) as of 59 out of 66 updates:
01. / 14 - 13 - 08 - 07 - 01 - 01 China
02. / 13 - 05 - 08 - 09 - 06 - 08 USA
03. / 08 - 05 - 04 - 04 - 04 - 05 Russia
04. / 04 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 - 03 Brazil
05. / 03 - 04 - 02 - 06 - 01 - 02 Italy
06. / 02 - 09 - 03 - 04 - 11 - 04 Australia
07. / 02 - 03 - 05 - 02 - 03 - 02 France
08. / 02 - 02 - 00 - 03 - 03 - 05 United Kingdom
09. / 02 - 01 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 Greece
February 10th — the scoreline looks like a glitch in a video game: 10 / 02 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 against Denmark.
February 11th — a total shutout by the Netherlands. They just absolutely dismantled them, finishing with a scoreline that looks more like a basketball box score than a match result.
12. / 01 - 03 - 08 - 02 - 02 - 01 Germany
January 13th — 00 - 03 - 01 - 02 - 04 Canada
Jan 14th — A total shutout performance from the South Korean squad: 14 to nothing. Just absolute dominance on the scoreboard.
January 15th — A total shutout performance from Norway. Just pure dominance.
16. / 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 Belarus
January 17th — A total shutout. 0-0, 0-0, 0-0... just a complete wasteland of scoring against Bulgaria.
17. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Switzerland
19. / 00 - 04 - 01 - 02 - 10 - 01 Japan
20. / 00 - 03 - 03 - 07 - 01 - 03 Canada
21. / 00 - 01 - 05 - 02 - 02 - 01 Spain
22. / 00 - 01 - 00 - 03 - 00 - 00 Sweden
23. / 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 Poland
24. / 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 Mexico
25. / 00 - 00 - 02 - 00 - 01 - 02 South Africa
26. / 00 - 00 - 02 - 00 - 00 - 02 Mexico
27. / 00 - 00 - 01 - 03 - 02 - 08 Ukraine
28. / 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 - 00 USA
29. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Chile
29. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Kenya
29. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 - 00 Tunisia
32. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 01 Malaysia
33. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Argentina
33. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Austria
33. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 - 00 Faroe Islands
36. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 02 Lithuania
37. / 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 - 01 New Zealand

Aaron Patel55 As if anyone actually needed to hear that again.
Huge congrats to the Italian water polo team on snagging their third World Cup title. With that win, they’ve officially pulled ahead of everyone else to become the most dominant force in the history of the tournament.

Italy 3, me 1.
Canada lost 2-6-1.
The Soviet Union pulled off a 2-1 win, leaving us with a 1-1 split in the series.
Yugoslavia 2, 0, 2.
The stats from that period are pretty telling—it’s basically like watching a dynasty struggle to find its footing after everything fell apart. One win, one loss, two games played... it's hardly the legendary run anyone was hoping for.
The US pulls off a 1-0 win, securing their second victory in a row.
Mexico 1 1 0
Russia 0, 0, 2.
West Germany 0 0 1
Greece 0 0 1

Water Polo (World Cup history, 1973–2011):
01. / 5 - 3 - 2 (10) Italy
A rough 2-4-7-1 loss against Canada—just another day at the office, I guess.
A messy 3-1-2 scoreline for the USA. Not exactly the masterclass we were hoping to see.
Spain just dropped a 3-1 hammer on the court, finishing things off at 6. Typical stuff.
The score stands at 2-2-2 (06), with the Mexican team holding the line. Mexico and Mexico.
06. / 2 - 1 - 1 (04) The Soviet Union.
07. / 2 - 0 - 2 (04) Yugoslavia
August 1st — A tough 1-3 loss against the Netherlands.
September 1st — A 1-1-1 deadlock against Australia.
10. / 1 - 0 - 2 (03) USA
11. / 1 - 0 - 1 (02) Greece
Halftime score: US 0 - 2 Canada. It’s looking like a bit of a disaster for the home team so far.
13th place. A total shutout. 0 - 1 - 0 against China.
14th minute. It's still 0-0. Russia is currently sitting at 0 wins, 0 draws, and 6 losses. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash where you just keep waiting for the impact that never comes.
The scoreboard at halftime shows Germany leading 1-0 after a tight first half. It’s essentially a chess match out there right now.

Personally, I’m pretty happy with how things are looking; we're keeping this winning streak alive, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters. We aren't blowing those third-place games like we used to, which honestly just goes to show that we've finally grown up a bit as a team. It looks like the Italians are finally finding their footing again after being nowhere to be found for seven years, while the Canadians seem to be on a slow slide downward—they haven't even touched a medal since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It’s been years since you’ve seen many Canadians around. There are a few, I guess, but... they always seem to be snatching up gold at the Olympics. 🙏

So, this water sports meet wraps up tomorrow, and I figured I’d drop a quick thought on how our American representatives—specifically the water polo guys and the swimmers—actually performed. First off, the water polo squad? Huge props to them, seriously 👍 As for the swimmers, man, I don't even know. It was pretty rough. We sent eight swimmers out there, and honestly, not a single one hit a meaningful mark. Especially when you look back at what happened in Rome back in 2009, where the US swimming team walked away with two golds and a silver; now? Absolute crickets. Sure, Chavez had that back surgery, so okay, what he pulled off during his recovery is definitely respectable. But everyone else just totally flopped. Nadia, who was basically a superstar back in Rome, barely scraped into sixth place, and those swimmers we all pegged as the next big thing—the future legends like Lender and Silacci—didn't produce anything worth mentioning, and neither did the rest of the pack.