Water Polo was introduced as a Women’s event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and it was fitting that Australia, which had campaigned so hard for its inclusion, should take the inaugural gold medal. It was a triumph inside and outside of the pool for those who campaigned for the equality in the sport that had been denied women for a century. Having lost only one match in the preliminary rounds in Sydney, Australia staged an epic battle with the US in the final. With scores tied at 3-3, and with 1.3 seconds left on the clock, Yvette Higgins was awarded a free throw nine metres out and blasted the ball into the net to secure a historic gold medal. Women’s Water Polo has been a part of the Olympics ever since.

Often in sport’s most celebrated moments, it is not solely about the destination (as good as that might be); it is equally about the journey to the summit.

Few moments have been as perfectly entwined in terms of destination and journey as the Australian Women’s Water Polo gold medal success at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

For if it hadn’t been for the courage, campaigning and commitment of the team members in the years leading up to it – as well as the groundwork laid by the pioneers before them – it might never have happened.

The first gold medal match against the US, which unfolded before a then record crowd of 17,000 fans, turned out to be one of the most inspiring moments of the Sydney Olympics.

It came down to one extraordinary moment with only 1.3 seconds on the clock, with the destiny of the match in the hands of Australian Yvette Higgins. But in real terms, this had been a fight that had been years in the making, simply to get to this tipping point.

Men’s Water Polo had been a part of every modern Olympics since Paris in 1900, but the quest to introduce a Women’s competition had been hard-fought after a century of exclusion.

The journey involved a protracted campaign aimed at convincing the International Olympic Committee and FINA that equality mattered, and that women deserved their place alongside the men.

It wasn’t an easy process.

When Juan Antonio Samaranch announced in 1993 that Sydney would be the 2000 Games venue, FINA committed to introducing a Women’s event before going back on their pledge.

The fight was back on again; but this time the women refused to take no for an answer.

They had to take the matter into their own hands.

So when the IOC – and the president of FINA – arrived in Sydney in 1997 to inspect the venues three years out from the Games, they were greeted by members of the Australian team, wearing bathers and bearing placards, demanding the same rights as their male counterparts.

The placards were simple but to the point, with two saying: “FINA: Female Involvement Not Allowed” and “Sydney 2000, it’s time for Women’s Water Polo.” Players even gatecrashed a media conference.

The tide of public sentiment was overwhelmingly in their favour, and with some help from the Australian Olympic Committee, their campaign was ultimately rewarded.

Thankfully, the perseverance and persistence paid off and it was fitting that this Australian Women’s Water Polo team would inspire the nation with its will-to-win and its never-say-die approach, all played out on a home stage before packed, parochial crowds.

The Australians lost only one match – to the Netherlands – on their way through to the semi-final against Russia.

They trailed 6-4 with less than five minutes to play, but dragged themselves off the canvas with the match-winning goal scored by captain Bridgette Gusterson with 43 seconds left.

Then in a match befitting the occasion, the Australians and the Americans fought out a tense and tight game, with the US levelling the scores with only 13 seconds remaining in the game.

Then, with one last surge, the home team went forward and Higgins was fouled. She launched at the net with 1.3 seconds left, and it was the match-winning play.

The Australians had won, twice.

The first victory was simply about being there; the second was just as sweet, a gold medal triumph that had changed the sport forever.

Photo Courtesy: News Corp