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A32    sports
               Diaranson 8 December 2021

                                 US water polo coaches returning for Paris Olympics


                                                                                                   (AP)  —  Right  after  the  “I’m expecting that after the
                                                                                                   Summer Olympics, Adam  end  of  the  college  season
                                                                                                   Krikorian was done. Worn  2022 we’ll have almost a full
                                                                                                   down by coaching the U.S.  roster  outside  the  States,”
                                                                                                   women’s water polo team  Udovicic said.
                                                                                                   through  a  pandemic,  he
                                                                                                   thought  it  might  be  time  Krikorian,  47,  played  at
                                                                                                   to try something new.        UCLA  and  coached  the
                                                                                                                                men’s  and  women’s  teams
                                                                                                   Some  two  months  after  To-  for the Bruins before he was
                                                                                                   kyo, long after the glow of a  hired as U.S. coach in March
                                                                                                   third consecutive gold medal  2009.
                                                                                                   had worn off, Krikorian was
                                                                                                   still in the same place. Then,  With Krikorian in charge, the
                                                                                                   as  he  examined  what  went  U.S. has turned into a domi-
                                                                                                   right  and  wrong  during  the  nant force. After falling 10-9
                                                                                                   previous  Olympic  cycle,  ev-  to Hungary in group play in
                                                                                                   erything began to change.    its first loss at the Olympics
                                                                                                                                since the 2008 final, the U.S.
                                                                                                   “As  the  months  went  on,  I  ripped off four straight wins
                                                                                                   became more and more pas-    by  a  combined  score  of  63-
                                                                                                   sionate  about  and  excited  26. It has a 174-6 record over
                                                                                                   about  trying  to  make  those  the past five years.
                                                                                                   improvements,”    Krikorian
                                                                                                   told the AP in a phone inter-  No team — men or women
                                                                                                   view, “to make the experience  — has ever won four straight
                                                                                                   better  for  myself  and  for  all  water  polo  titles  at  the
                                                                                                   those around me.”            Games.  But  Krikorian  said
                                                                                                                                that wasn’t a factor in his de-
                                                                                                   That’s how he got from the  cision  to  return.  The  short-
                                                                                                   exhaustion  he  felt  after  the  ened Olympic cycle was part
                                                                                                   U.S. routed Spain 14-5 in the  of  his  thought  process,  but
                                                                                                   Tokyo final on Aug. 7 to Tues-  the biggest draw at this point
                                                                                                   day,  when  USA  Water  Polo  just  might  be  the  chance  to
                                                                                                   announced  Krikorian  and  lay the groundwork for 2028
                                                                                                   men’s coach Dejan Udovicic  —  and,  perhaps  likely,  the
                                                                                                   are  staying  on  through  the  next U.S. coach.
                                                                                                   2024 Olympics.
                                                                                                                                “My  focus  will  be  certainly
                                                                                                   The  continuity  at  the  top  on Paris, but will also be on
                                                                                                   — far from a given after the  what do we have to do now
                                                                                                   challenges  in  the  runup  to  to help identify and help de-
                                                                                                   this year’s Games — is a coup  velop  the  next  athletes  and
                                                                                                   for  each  program  with  Paris  coaches that are going to be
                                                                                                   coming  up  on  the  horizon.  able to perform at the Olym-
                                                                                                   While  the  women  are  going  pic  Games  in  Los  Angeles,”
                                                                                                   for an unprecedented fourth  Krikorian said.
                                                                                                   consecutive  title,  the  U.S.
                                                                                                   men are looking to build on  Krikorian also plans to spend
                                                                                                   a sixth-place finish this year.  more  time  at  his  Southern
                                                                                                                                California  home  with  his
                                                                                                   “I think there’s a lot of good  family  during  this  cycle,  an
                                                                                                   years  ahead  of  the  national  allowance  granted  by  USA
                                                                                                   team,” Udovicic said.        Water Polo to help keep him
                                                                                                                                in place.
                                                                                                   Udovicic,  51,  was  hired  in  He likely will follow a similar
                                                                                                   2013 after coaching Serbia to  plan with his veteran players,
                                                                                                   bronze at the London Olym-   giving  them  more  time  be-
                                                                                                   pics.  The  U.S.  stumbled  in  fore  resuming  training  with
                                                                                                   Rio, going 2-3 and finishing  the national team.
                                                                                                   10th, but it showed signs of
                                                                                                   growth in Tokyo. Led by Ben  While declining to speculate
                                                                                                   Hallock and helped by a for-  on who might return in 2024,
                                                                                                   tuitous  draw,  the  Americans  Krikorian  said  he  is  antici-
                                                                                                   reached  the  quarterfinals  pating  “a  decent  amount  of
                                                                                                   before  they  were  eliminated  turnover.”
                                                                                                   from medal contention with
                                                                                                   a 12-8 loss to Spain.        “I  think  the  team  in  Paris
                                                                                                                                will probably look much dif-
                                                                                                   Much  of  the  U.S.  ros-    ferent, and, if I had to guess,
                                                                                                   ter  played  for  club  teams  will  struggle  much  more
                                                                                                   in  Europe  for  the  bulk  of  during  this  process  than  the
                                                                                                   their  training  for  this  year’s  last team did,” he said. “And
                                                                                                   Olympics,  instead  of  spend-  I look forward to that. I look
                                                                                                   ing  more  time  together  as  a  forward to being possibly on
                                                                                                   national team. It was a depar-  the  other  end  of  things  and
                                                                                                   ture from past practice — one  trying to redevelop this team
                                                                                                   Udovicic plans to continue.  and this program.”
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