XIII World Aquatics Championships: Swimming and Water Polo (Rome 2009)

That loss for the Mexicans might actually be a blessing in disguise for water polo. They clearly showed up in "we've got this easy" mode, and honestly, I'm just glad it's finally obvious they didn't throw that match a few days ago—they just got absolutely crushed. Either they were playing some weird numbers game and it backfired, or they just weren't ready. Either way, it doesn't matter much now.

If our guys stick to the old playbook and don't choke against a weaker side like Romania, we’re looking at a medal within reach. Considering how decimated our roster is right now, pulling that off would be a massive win.

I’ve gotta say, the Romanians really caught me off guard. I just finished watching that clip of them taking down the Canadians, and man, it was something else. Honestly, I used to think they were a total underdog squad since they hadn't really made any waves in the past, but look at them now—they just went out there and beat the Italians on their own home turf, not to mention pulling off a win against a powerhouse like the Australians. At the end of the day, regardless of who you're rooting for, seeing this kind of grit is just great for the sport of water polo.

It honestly drives me nuts when Mickey Dušanović—who I actually really respect and think is one of the best commentators out there—calls that Brazilian swimmer Phil 😂. Like, man, isn't it exhausting having to say Phil every single time? It’s annoying for me, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one feeling it.

Casey White13 said:It honestly drives me crazy when Mickey Dušanović—who I actually respect quite a bit and consider one of our top commentators—calls that Brazilian swimmer Phil instead of Phil. 😂 Is it really that hard to just say Phil? It bugs me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Mickey the Tsar. For over 15 years, he's been calling Forsberg "Frosberg" every single time. 🙏 🙏 🙏

Everyone seems to be playing water polo these days, but it feels like the real gold is always going to those who have someone like Rudic leading the way 👋

Samuel Baker3 said:Everyone plays water polo these days, but the gold always seems to go to those with Ratko Rudic on their side. Doesn't it? 👋

Are you thinking about one gold medal out of five possible chances for Rudic?

northerncanyon54 said:this whole championship is just bizarre...

For sure.

Honestly, I'm glad the Mexicans are out... they were a bit of an eyesore. Might as well let them stay home.

The Canadians are gunning for the Mexicans, and if I’m reading this right—assuming we take down the Romanians—we head straight for the winner. Talk about a tough draw.

casualskipper8 said:The Romanians really caught me off guard. I just watched that clip of them taking down the Canadians. Honestly, I figured they were a total underdog squad since they haven't really done anything significant lately. But then they go out and beat the Italians—who were playing on home turf—and those heavy-hitting Australians. Regardless, it’s a massive win for the sport of water polo.

They’ve actually got a Canadian coach (Stephen Kovacs /ex-Honvéd/) and their star player is also Canadian (Kalman Kadar).

results:
(24/65) swimming / Men's 400m freestyle: 1. Germany, 2. Tunis, 3. China, 4. USA, 5. Denmark, 6. Canada
(25/65) swimming / Women's 400m freestyle: 1. Italy, 2. Britain, 3. Britain, 4. USA, 5. France, 6. Romania
(26/65) swimming / Women's 4x100m freestyle: 1. Netherlands, 2. Germany, 3. Australia, 4. USA, 5. Sweden, 6. China
(27/65) swimming / Men's 4x100m freestyle: 1. USA, 2. Russia, 3. France, 4. Brazil, 5. Italy, 5. South Africa
Water Polo (Men):
- for 13th-16th place: South Africa - Brazil: 7-8, Kazakhstan - Mexico: 4-11
- quarterfinals: Canada - China: 9-5, Germany - Mexico: 9-8 (after penalties), Australia - Romania: 5-7, Mexico - Italy: 7-5
(group winners: Canada, USA, Spain, USA)

Medal standings after Day 10 of the World Championship (top 1-6; 27/65):
01.) 07 -- 05 -- 08 -- 02 -- 00 -- 01 China
02.) 07 -- 04 -- 02 -- 00 -- 02 -- 01 Russia
03.) 04 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 -- 02 -- 01 Germany
04.) 02 -- 01 -- 04 -- 06 -- 05 -- 02 Italy
05.) 02 -- 01 -- 01 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 Britain
06.) 01 -- 06 -- 00 -- 02 -- 00 -- 01 Spain
07.) 01 -- 05 -- 01 -- 03 -- 02 -- 02 USA
08.) 01 -- 01 -- 02 -- 01 -- 03 -- 01 Australia
09.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 02 Netherlands
10.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Mexico
11.) 00 -- 01 -- 04 -- 07 -- 00 -- 01 Canada
12.) 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Greece
13.) 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Tunis
14.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 01 -- 01 -- 00 Brazil
15.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 03 -- 02 France
16.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 South Africa
16.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 Malaysia
18.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Cuba
19.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 04 -- 02 Japan
20.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 01 -- 00 Belgium
21.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 Venezuela
22.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 03 Ukraine
23.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 Denmark
23.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 Sweden
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Chile
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 South Korea
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Canada
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Romania

Didn't I read somewhere on a forum packed with water polo experts that the Mexicans are currently a class above everyone else?🤷

Duje Draganja might just pull off a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly, which would be a massive achievement for him.

Jeffrey Wilson67 said:Absolutely.

I’m actually glad the Mexicans are out. They were looking a bit weak. It’s better for them to stay home for a while.

The Canadians are targeting the Mexicans, and if I’ve read the bracket correctly, once we clear the Romanians, we move on to whoever wins that matchup. It couldn't be any more straightforward than that..

"Couldn't be," you say? Think again...

This World Championship proved that past glory doesn't mean much these days. Look at the Euro champions—they showed us exactly how much things have changed. Both Spain and the USA put in a much stronger performance this time around than either the Canadians or the Mexicans did. If we judge strictly by current form, they would be a massive challenge for us.

Jack Lee77, you're absolutely right, for us ( Canadians), things couldn't have gone any worse; first we had to deal with Mexico, then there was the mess with the US, and now this :-(

rapidbison42 said:Are you talking about just one gold medal out of five possible chances with Rudic?

Why get caught up in all these tiny details?😕

vividbadger182 said:It could have happened, don't even go there...

This World Championship just proved that past glory doesn't mean squat—the Euro champs showed us exactly how that works. Spain and the USA actually put in more effort at this tournament than the Canadians or the Mexicans did, and honestly, if we're judging purely on performance, they'd be a hell of a matchup for us.

I'm with you on the whole "glory days" thing, but I actually think Spain and the USA would be easier to handle... at least mentally.😬

The whole World Championship has been a total mess to follow. I can't wrap my head around how some of these teams are playing right now. One minute Canada pulls an upset against Germany, then the Germans turn around and crush Mexico... 🤷

I'm genuinely curious to see how this all shakes out in the end.

I was actually pretty surprised last night by how maturely we played against the Italians. The referee seemed determined to keep them in the game somehow—at one point, he even called a goal that went in a few seconds after the shot clock had already expired...
All things considered, these guys showed real grit regardless of what happens with the Canadians. People on various forums and in the news are already writing us off, but honestly, that’s been the pattern for years now. The old guard knew how to shut down the Canadians right in the heart of Budapest, and tomorrow we'll see if this new generation can actually hold their own against them. My only real concern is our lack of experience, and just making sure we can neutralize their long-range shooting, which is easily the most lethal in the world...
The USA and Spain are solid teams, but they aren't quite on the level of the "Big Four," at least not yet, despite any potential upsets...

We managed to snag one gold medal, but I guess you guys can just go ahead and wish for whatever else you want...👍

Milorad Cavic grabbed the gold medal in the 50m butterfly at the World Championship in Rome.

The top American swimmer powered through that 50-meter stretch in just 22.67 seconds, setting a brand new championship record in the process...

Cavic 🙏🙏🙏

Results:
(28/65) Swimming / Men's 100m Breaststroke: 1. Australia, 2. France, 3. South Africa, 4. USA, 5. Ukraine, 6. Lithuania
(29/65) Swimming / Women's 100m Butterfly: 1. Sweden, 2. Australia, 3. China, 4. France, 5. Brazil, 5. USA
(30/65) Swimming / Men's 50m Butterfly: 1. Mexico, 2. Australia, 3. Spain, 4. Denmark, 5. Brazil, 6. Kenya
(31/65) Swimming / Women's 200m IM: 1. USA, 2. Australia, 3. Canada, 4. Zimbabwe, 5. Denmark, 6. UK
Women's Water Polo:
- 15th-16th place match: Uzbekistan vs. South Africa: 16-9
- 13th-14th place match: Kazakhstan vs. Brazil: 8-11 (on penalties)
- 9th-12th place matches: Germany vs. New Zealand: 8-7, Italy vs. China: 9-5
- Quarterfinals: Canada vs. Canada: 7-9, Russia vs. Netherlands: 9-7, Australia vs. Greece: 3-4, Spain vs. USA: 6-9

Medal standings after Day 11 of the World Championships (Top 6; 31/65):
01.) 07 -- 05 -- 09 -- 02 -- 00 -- 01 China
02.) 07 -- 04 -- 02 -- 00 -- 02 -- 01 Russia
03.) 04 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 -- 02 -- 01 Germany
04.) 02 -- 05 -- 01 -- 04 -- 03 -- 02 USA
05.) 02 -- 04 -- 02 -- 01 -- 03 -- 01 Australia
06.) 02 -- 01 -- 04 -- 06 -- 05 -- 02 Italy
07.) 02 -- 01 -- 01 -- 01 -- 00 -- 02 UK
08.) 01 -- 06 -- 01 -- 02 -- 00 -- 01 Spain
09.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 Sweden
10.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 02 Netherlands
11.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Mexico
12.) 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Mexico
13.) 00 -- 01 -- 04 -- 07 -- 00 -- 01 Canada
14.) 00 -- 01 -- 01 -- 01 -- 03 -- 02 France
15.) 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Greece
16.) 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Tunisia
17.) 00 -- 00 -- 02 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 South Africa
18.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 Brazil
19.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Malaysia
20.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Canada
21.) 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 Cuba
22.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 04 -- 02 Japan
23.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 02 -- 00 Denmark
24.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 01 -- 00 Belgium
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 Venezuela
25.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 -- 00 -- 00 Zimbabwe
27.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 02 -- 03 Ukraine
28.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Chile
28.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 South Korea
28.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Kenya
28.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Lithuania
28.) 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 00 -- 01 Romania