Precocious would be an understatement to describe Emily Ausmus. Last year, at 16, she scored three goals at the FINA World League Super Final to help the US place third, only a few months after she had helped her youth teammates snare the 2022 FINA Youth World Championship title in Serbia. Now her sights are firmly set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Five years ago, when USA Water Polo's Chief Sport Development Officer John Abdou was asked about 12-year-old Ausmus matching up with players up to seven years older at the Pan Am junior championships in Florida, he cited her high water-polo IQ. It means she can process situations faster than most athletes, virtually giving her an extra meter as she swiftly moves around the pool.
That IQ and her in-water skills led to her being a big part of the US women's development program, which culminated in the 2022 US youth team beating Greece, 10-8, to take its first youth world crown since 2014. In the final, Ausmus scored the first goal and another to make it 9-7 with 3:45 left in the fourth period — the fulcrum for victory.
Another highlight of 2022 was when Ausmus was named senior team alternate in the lead-up to the FINA World Championships in Budapest. She now stands to compete for national team berths at every competition until the Paris Olympic Games in July next year.
US head coach Adam Krikorian has always had his eye on Ausmus.
"Emily has been on our radar and a part of our pipeline for quite some time. From a young age, you could see her talent, but more importantly, her industriousness and eagerness to learn were the values that jumped off the page.
"As she now transitions to the senior team, the challenges and competition become elevated. The journey may not always be smooth for someone as young as Emily, but she has a good foundation that will help her continue to grow and hopefully be a part of our programme for many years to come," Krikorian said.
While Ausmus ultimately missed roster for the 2022 senior World Championships, she did manage to impress in the FINA World League Super Final last November where the US lost its semifinal to Hungary, 9-10, then beat the Netherlands, 16-15, on penalties for the bronze medal.
Ausmus started playing in eighth grade in Riverside, California, with the local club, Riverside Water Polo and the local community college RCC, with her brother, Evan, now a freshman at USC.
She called playing as a 12-year-old in the Pan Am Games: "definitely nerve-wracking."
"I was…not really experienced, playing against international players," she said. "People around me were great teammates who taught me a lot. I really enjoyed [the experience]."
Ausmus is currently in high school and said she plans to play water polo at USC after a gap year to train for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
She regarded her remarkable 2022 as a "great experience."
"It started off with the senior team as an alternate, travelling with the team and being able to see their routine and how hard they train for the World Championships; taking a week off and then training with the senior B team in Greece for a week and a half, continuing my skills with amazing women. After that it was travelling with the youth team and competing in the World Youth Championships (in Belgrade, Serbia), then travelling with the USA senior team," Ausmus said.
"In water polo it's really important being a good person in and out of the water and being a good player as well."
Her visit to Tenerife in Spain for the World League Super Final was special, she said.
"It was definitely a great experience, as coming from being an alternate, and finally being able to play in the senior team. It was a great experience to play girls from other countries at that senior level — very hard to do.
"You get to see the different skills and mindset to play at that level and it taught me a lot of lessons in the water, mentally and physically."
On the youth world championships, Ausmus said her team had a winning bond.
"The tour started off in Greece. We played a tournament there and won, [then] trained with the Hungarian team in Budapest, finally ending up in Serbia at the world champs. We had such a close bond on that team, in and out of the water; we grew that bond.
"There was a determination to win that tournament. We trusted each other. To win with such close friends, people you grew up competing against was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not many people get; standing on that podium with people who have the same heart for the sport that you do," she said.
"Here in the US, our process is always very competitive. The girls on the youth team are great water polo players who also have a mentality for working hard.
"You have to earn your spot. Everyone on the team and program has that mindset. If we all keep that mindset, that group will make the senior team, maintain the legacy, become a better team, and be the best in the world," Ausmus said.
On the January trip to Australia to play the Aussie Stingers in Perth and Brisbane, Ausmus enjoyed the constant training.
"We trained every day with the Australian national team. It was a great opportunity to push myself every day, mentally and physically, especially with the low numbers. [The team travelled with just 12 players.] It showed me how much I love the sport and how hard you need to [work to] be successful in it.
"I like to compete. I like to push myself, push my teammates. I [also] like to have fun in the water. You have to make it enjoyable, make every game and every possession so different [and translate] those little differences into your advantage," Ausmus said.
With age on her side, that effervescent desire to succeed, and the historic background of a successful program, Ausmus is assured of being at the forefront of the sport for many years to come.
This article originally appeared at WorldAquatics.com
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