Anni Espar
Spanish water polo player (born 1993)
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Anna "Anni" Espar Llaquet (born 8 January 1993) is a Spanish water polo player who won the gold medal at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.[1] She also won the silver medal at the 2012[2] and 2020 Summer Olympics.[3]
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Espar in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Anna Espar Llaquet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
8 January 1993 Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Driver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | CN Mataró | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010– | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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College career
Espar joined the University of Southern California women's water polo team in 2012.[4] As a Freshman she was named to the ACWPC All-America First Team,[5] All-MPSF First Team,[6] MPSF All-Newcomer Team[6] and MPSF Player of the Week on 25 February after scoring 8 goals in her first major tournament as a Trojan.[7]
In 2013, she won the NCAA in the longest match in championship game history.[8] Espar scored the winning goal in the third sudden-death overtime period.[9]
International career
Espar played on the Spain national team which won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[2] She scored 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.[2]
In 2012 Espar was named Best European Female Water Polo Player by the LEN.[10]
Espar joined the Sydney Uni Lions women's water polo team in 2017 winning the Australian League and ending with an unprecedented undefeated season for the Lions (23 wins and a draw in 24 matches). Espar was also named to the 2017 NWPL All Star Team.[11]
Espar also played on the Spanish national team which won the silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[3] She scored again 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team for the second time in her career.[12]
Personal life
Espar's younger sister, Clara, is also a professional water polo player.[citation needed]
International competitions
2011 FINA Junior World Championships, Trieste, Italy, 1st place.[13]
2012 Olympic Games, London, United Kingdom, 2nd place.- 2013 FINA World Championships, Barcelona, Spain, 1st place.
- 2013 FINA Junior World Championships, Volos, Greece, 2nd place.[14]
- 2014 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.[15]
2014 FINA World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, 3rd place.[16]- 2016 FINA World League, Shanghai, China, 2nd place.[17]
- 2017 FINA World Championships, Budapest, Hungary, 2nd place.[18]
- 2018 LEN Europa Cup, Pontevedra, Spain, 3rd place.
- 2018 Mediterranean Games, Tarragona, Spain, 1st place.[19]
- 2018 European Championship, Barcelona, Spain, 3rd place.
- 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 2nd place.[20]
- 2020 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.
- 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan, 2nd place.
- 2024 Olympic Games, Paris, France, 1st place.
