Irene González (water polo)

Irene González López (born 23 July 1996) is a Spanish water polo player who won the silver medal with the women's national water polo team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[1]

Irene González
Personal information
Birth nameIrene González López
Born23 July 1996 (1996-07-23) (age 28)
Barcelona, Spain
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
CountrySpain Spain
SportWater polo
College teamHawai'i Rainbow Wahine
ClubCN Sabadell
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Gwangju Team
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest
Gold medal – first place 2022 Split

Early career

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González graduate of IES CAR Sant Cugat, Barcelona, in 2014. She helped her national team to win the silver medal at 2013[2] and 2015[3] FINA Junior World Championships.

College career

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González attended University of Hawaii at Manoa, playing on the women's water polo team from 2016 to 2019. As a freshman, she led the team with 73 goals, scoring in 24 matches with 18 multiple-goal games. She was named 2016 Big West Freshman of the Year.[4]

She led the team to the Big West Conference championship in 2019[5] and to second place in 2018. She was named 2018 and 2019 Big West Player of the Year, being first player in University of Hawaii history to earn Big West Player of the Year multiple times and First-Team All-Big West for the fourth-straight season.[4]

González was also named 2018[6] and 2019[7] All-America First Team by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC).

González graduated from Hawaii University in May 2019 with a B.S. degree in Kinesiology & Rehab Science.[8]

Club career

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After playing several years for CN Sant Feliú and CN Rubí, in May 2019, González signed contract with Spanish professional club CN Mataró.[9] In September 2020 she joined CN Sabadell.[10]

International career

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González made her senior debut in 2016 winning the silver medal at the 2016 FINA World League - Super Final.[11] In 2019 she won the silver medal at the World Championships[12] celebrated in Gwangju, South Korea.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brennan, Christine (7 August 2021). "US women's water polo team wins third straight Olympic gold, dominates Spain". USA Today. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ "WP Juniors (W), Day 7: USA takes gold after 9-7 win over Spain". FINA.org. August 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "Junior Women's WP Championships, Volos, Day 7: USA become the tournament winner". FINA.org. August 23, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Irene Gonzalez athlete profile". HawaiiAthletics.com.
  5. ^ "Water Polo Captures Big West Championship; Earns Bid to NCAA Tournament Hawaii". HawaiiAthletics.com. April 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches releases 2018 Women's Division I All-America Team". collegiatewaterpolo.org. May 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches releases 2019 Women's Division I All-America Team". collegiatewaterpolo.org. May 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "Hawai'i Athletics Celebrates Graduation of 119 Student-Athletes". HawaiiAthletes.com. May 11, 2019. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  9. ^ Marta Pérez (May 27, 2019). "Irene González, otro potente fichaje para el Mataró". MundoDeportivo.com (in Spanish).
  10. ^ Jordi Sánchez (September 15, 2020). "El Club Natació Sabadell se refuerza con Irene González". MundoDeportivo.com (in Spanish).
  11. ^ "WPWL Super Final, Shanghai, Day 6: USA crowned World League Champion for third consecutive year". FINA.org. June 12, 2016.
  12. ^ "Day 7: Women's Water Polo: USA shoots down Spain for historic sixth crown". FINA.org. 26 July 2019.
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