Watching the Rio Olympic water polo tournament, the realisation hit Maitland sisters Sophie and Amelia Hodgson that they could be on the same stage in four years time.
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Both Australian squad members Sophie, 18 and Amelia, 16, are following in the same footsteps of the Australian Olympic squad members and admit they watched the tournament through different eyes.
“When we go down to training at the Institute of Sport at Olympic Park I train with the senior squad,” Sophie said. “A lot of those girls playing in Rio we trained with and know well. Melsie comes down with me so we both know them.
“I think it makes it that more personal. One for goals of going to Tokyo. But also if they win you feel that excitement, you feel the losses and wins.”
The fact that Sophie was watching the first stages of the Olympics with Australian teammates on the Born ‘98 squad’s tour of Europe also added to the level of excitement.
“We went to Greece, Holland and Hungary and played against their born ‘98 teams. It was more just training and preparations for our world championships at the end of the year,” Sophie said.
The preparations for the world titles started two years when we went to New Zealand for the Pan Pacifics.
The squad of 26 has been progressively reduced to 14 girls on the latest European tour. One member will be cut for the championships.
We started in New Zeland with the Pan Pacific Games two years ago with a squad of 26, that has been progressively reduced with 14 girls going away on the tour.
Amelia is starting on the same paths with the Born 2000 squad and the predominantly under-16 team returned from the Pan Pacific Games with bronze medals in the under-18 and under-20 tournaments.
“They switched around the teams a bit after the under-18 tournament, and some of the girls from the other team came into our squad,” Amelia said. ”Most of us could still play under 16s, so it was a great to play against rougher older girls.”