Olympic silver medallist Johnson wasn’t sure if she’d make it to the start line in Setúbal after battling illness for the last few days, and says her goal coming into today was just to ‘survive’.

“In all honesty, I’d actually been battling illness into this and the plan was just to survive basically until the end. I think it just shows how strong I am even under not ideal conditions”.

The gold medal winner from Somabay did far more than just survive, dominating the second half of the race after working her way up from 16th position at the halfway point. Working alongside Taddeucci and Monaco’s Lisa Pou, they formed a small gap from the pack in the fifth lap, edging away with each stroke before veteran Jouisse cemented herself back in the top three.

Johnson made her move for the gold on the penultimate lap, moving to the front and stretching the athletes behind her into single file racing. “To hold two laps in the front was definitely not what I expected”, she said.

“Once I was leading the last lap, I thought well let’s just hold on. I saw they were in single file behind me and basically once you’re in single file, unless I dropped my pace drastically then, it’s really hard to pass. So I just backed myself a little bit, but also was very very careful with how I did the race because of the way I came into this [event].”

Taddeucci, who joined Johnson on the podium at the Paris Olympic Games, maintained a leading position throughout the race in what was a commanding display from the Italian.

After a blistering first lap from Sprint Lap winner, Japan’s Airi Ebina – who crossed through the first timing gate 40 seconds quicker than the men’s field earlier today (17:27.50) – Taddeucci was provoked to respond early in the race. Respond she did, attacking the race from the start in what has become a signature tactic for the 28-year-old.

Taking a completely different tack was France’s Jouisse, who took bronze in 1:53:43.10. Following her triple sweep at the French National Open Water Championships last week (3km, 5km, 10km), Jouisse adds to her collection of eight World Cup medals.

“[The conditions] were the same with the current changing during the race and some waves. I think on the first lap that it was really wavy which was a bit scary actually. The water temperature was changing; at the end of the fourth buoy that was warm, and then cold so we froze – I couldn’t even feel my feet anymore!” she said.

Speaking on the pace of the first lap, she said: “I never play for the sprint on the first lap. But I didn’t expect it to go that fast actually. Normally it goes fast and then it slows down a little bit, but it didn’t. I don’t know what I split for the first three laps, but I was really, really in the back.

“At some point, I saw that the pack broke a little bit and I was at the beginning of the second pack so I thought, okay, you’ve got to move right now and if not you’re out. With the current and everything, if you lose the front, there’s a high chance that you never come back.”

Strong performances from Germany’s Lea Boy and Monaco’s Lisa Pou, who finished in 5th (1:53:49.50) and 8th (1:53:53.60) respectively, saw them in contention for medals at different points. Pou led a split pack on the fourth lap, which dictated a big change in the race standings following a sharp turn at one of the buoys.

Boy maintained her position in the top 10 throughout the majority of the race, finishing strong down the home straight to touch just behind fourth place finisher, Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas of Hungary (1:53:44.80).

Ibiza champion Angela Martinez-Guillen (ESP) touched home in sixth place (1:53:50.40) while seventh went to Germany’s Celine Rieder, the silver medallist from Ibiza which marked her first international open water individual medal (1:53:50.80).

Racing continues in Setúbal tomorrow with the Men’s and Women’s 3km Knockout Sprint races, the heats of which get underway at 11:00 and 13:00 (local time), respectively.

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BREA, Calif. – Former UC San Diego water polo coach Denny Harper was officially inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame Friday.

Harper was one of five enshrined in the 41st class during a ceremony in Brea, Calif. The honorees represent international athletic excellence as well as gifted coaches and referees who have dedicated their lives to water polo.

Harper, who announced his retirement from UC San Diego in July of 2022, spent 42 years at the helm of the UC San Diego men’s program. He also led the Triton women’s team from 1985 until 1999. His teams combined for 942 victories.

The Triton men posted a 697-496-4 (.584) record between 1980, his first season with the Tritons, and 2021, his final season at the helm. He was named the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) National Coach of the Year 17 times and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Coach of the Year 19 times. In 2024, Harper was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ACWPC.

The Tritons advanced to the NCAA Championship on 15 different occasions, finishing second for the first time ever in 2000. In 1995, Harper’s squad became the first Division III team to advance to the NCAA Final Four, repeating the feat in 1998 and 1999.

Under Harper’s direction, UC San Diego proved to be a regular contender in the WWPA since the league began sponsoring championships in 1981. In 35 seasons, the Tritons captured 18 titles and 14 runner-up trophies. UC San Diego has been consistently ranked among the top-12 teams in the NCAA rankings and rose as high as No. 3 in the nation in 2006.

Harper coached the UC San Diego women’s water polo team from 1985 through 1999, compiling a 245-122-2 overall record. The Tritons won five USA Water Polo crowns, one national runner-up effort, and two national third-place trophies.

A 1978 graduate of San Diego State University, Harper coached at Rancho Alamitos High School, Indio High School, and SDSU before coming to UC San Diego.

He played two years at Santa Barbara City College before moving on to San Diego State to finish his college career.

He began his collegiate coaching career at SDSU, leading the women’s club team. Harper graduated in 1978. He helped the Aztecs to a 130-18 record.

In late 1979, fate intervened when best friend and former SBCC teammate Russ Hafferkamp asked Harper if he wanted to lead the UC San Diego men. It was a life-changing decision that turned a passion into a career. His four-plus decade run with the men’s squad is nothing short of legendary.  

The 2025 class also includes two of the most formidable defenders in Team USA history – Melissa Seidemann, a three-time Olympic and world champion, and Jesse Smith, a five-time Olympian and 2008 silver medalist. Also inducted Friday were coaching great Ricardo Azevedo as well as official/referee David Alberstein.
  
To learn more about the Hall of Fame, including a look at all the past inductees, click here.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

THE Trinbago Beach Volleyball Tour continues with an Under-18 tournament over the next two days at Saith Park, Chaguanas.

It will be the second competition for the youngest category in the series, which also includes action in Under-21, Under-23 and the open divisions.

After winning the men’s title in the first open tournament two months ago, Daneil Williams and Daynte Stewart struck gold again in the second stage two weeks ago.

The title favourites defeated Marlon Phillip and Jahreef Miguel 21-18, 21-18 for the trophy, after a 21-14, 21-18 semi-final triumph over Jerome Morrison and Janeiro Atherley. Phillip and Miguel nosed out Kareem Thomas and Tevin Edwards 19-21, 21-16, 15-13 to advance to the title match.

Like the champions, La Teisha Joseph made it two-out-of-two in the women’s event. After combining with Apphia Glasgow to capture the title in the first leg in mid-April, she teamed with Malika Davidson for gold this time.

The multiple NORCECA (North, Central America and the Caribbean) Beach Tour players defeated scored a hard-fought 23-21, 22-20 triumph over Tsyan Selvon and Danielle Noel-Kelly in the final.

Davidson, who flew the red, white and black flag in the Olympic Youth Games in China in 2014, and Joseph had whipped Kaylon Cruickshank and Aaliyah Alexis 21-12, 21-12 in the semis, while Selvon and Noel-Kelly scraped home 27-25, 15-21, 15-13 against Meeka Johnson and L’fe Roberts, a leading Under-18 pair of 2023.

After winning the first leg, Joseph and Glasgow represented the country in the opening leg of the NORCECA Beach Tour in Cuba at the beginning of last month.

But Williams and Stewart did not make the trip, and runners-up Stephen Enile and Joel Theodore also travelled to Dominican Republic for the second leg in the middle of the month.

The NORCECA Under-23 beach Tour got going the following weekend at the same venue, and T&T were represented by the winners of first “Trinbago” leg of this category, Kristianna Richards and Adalia Badroe and Morrison and Miguel.

The Trinbago Tour began with an U-18 tournament in early April, and Jessica Castagne-Hay and Skye La Fon and Darion Sparks and Josie Cedeno were the champs.

The second leg of the NORCECA U-23 series serves off next week Friday in Cayman Islands, while the third event in the NORCECA open circuit begins the following Friday in Honduras.

Zagreb, Croatia – June 14 – The USA Men’s Junior National Team lost their opener at the U20 Word Championship, falling 19-10 to Croatia earlier today. Ryder Dodd led the team in scoring with four goals while Charles Mills and Baxter Chelsom combined for eight saves in net. Team USA is back in the pool tomorrow as they continue group play with a meeting against Hungary at 11:30am et/8:30am pt. All matches are scheduled to stream live on the World Aquatics YouTube. Live statistics will be available for every match from MicroPlus Timing Services.

Croatia opened the scoring with a tally at the 5:22 mark but Dodd immediately tied the game on the next possession delivering on a penalty shot score. The two sides would trade goals until Croatia hit for two in a row to build a 4-2 edge with 1:39 to play. William Schneider kept Team USA afloat scoring two of the next three goals to make it a 5-4 game with less than a minute to go in the opening quarter. Croatia had the last word, scoring with :25 on the clock to build a two-goal lead going to the second quarter.

Team USA came out strong to open the second quarter as Peter Castillo hit on a power play followed by a Ryan Ohl goal in close for a 6-6 game roughly two minutes into the period. The lowest scoring quarter of the match stayed quiet on the offensive end until the 2:08 mark when the host country broke through with an extra man goal for a 7-6 lead. They added another power play goal a minute later to go in front 8-6 at halftime. 

Croatia took control of this match in the third, outscoring Team USA 6-1. They opened the period with three unanswered goals to increase their lead to five at 11-6. Dodd stopped the bleeding with a tally but Croatia went right back to work scoring three more goals in the quarter to go ahead 14-7 with one period left to play. Dodd hit on a penalty shot to make it 15-8 with 6:44 to play in the game but the United States would get no closer. Croatia added five goals in the fourth to surge to the nine-goal victory. 

Team USA went 4/11 on power plays and 2/2 on penalties while Croatia went 6/8 on power plays and 2/2 on penalties. 

Scoring – Stats

USA 10 (4, 2, 1, 3) R. Dodd 4, P. Castillo 2, W. Schneider 2, R. Ohl 1. B. Brinkema 1

CRO 19 (6, 2, 6, 5) A. Jerkovic 5, V. Pavlic 4,V. Toncinic 3, M. Susic 3, G. Burburan 2, A. Fajkovic 1, K. Dragosevic 1

Saves – USA – C. Mills 7, B. Chelsom 1 – CRO – M. Cubranic 8

6×5 – USA – 4/11 – CRO – 6/8

Penalties – USA – 2/2 – CRO – 2/2