For more than two decades, the U.S. women’s water polo team made winning Olympic medals look easy.

In six Olympics, the Americans won three golds, two silvers, and one bronze. They came to Paris as the three-time defending Olympic gold medalists and the 2024 world champions.

But winning titles isn’t easy – despite the seemingly effortless success Team USA has shown for so long. More factors go into winning games than just play in the pool. Other teams across the world have worked to end the U.S.’s dynasty, injuries happen, life events happen.

“One of the frustrating things for me is that everyone on the outside has no idea how difficult this is, how hard it is to win,” said U.S. women’s water polo coach Adam Krikorian following his team’s loss to The Netherlands in the bronze medal game of the Paris Olympics on Saturday. “We made it look easy, but it was anything but that for those three Olympic Games. ... In the last three years, (Netherlands) and Spain, in my opinion, are the two best teams. It's just tough for us to match up with their physicality. Not that we can't win, but their length and their physicality, and you saw their speed, and it was a little too much for us at the end."

With Saturday’s loss, the U.S. leaves the Olympics without a medal for the first time.

The Paris tournament started as well as it could for the Americans, who went 3-1 in pool play. Their only loss came to Spain, the eventual gold medalists. The 13 goals allowed to the Spanish was the most they’ve allowed in an Olympic game since 2012. It was a tough loss, but they responded with three straight victories in which they allowed just three, five, and four goals. In four pool play wins, the U.S. outscored their opponents by an average of 7.25 goals.

The wins were especially impressive given what the team was going through out of the pool. Before the Olympics even started, team captain Maggie Steffens sent out a prayer on Instagram asking for help. Some players - including her - were working two or three jobs just to make enough money to train, and getting to Paris seemed like an unbearable financial burden. 

Rapper Flavor Flav saw Steffen’s social media plea and jumped in to help. He commented on her post “AYYY YOOO,,, as a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports - imma personally sponsor you my girl,,, whatever you need. And imma sponsor the whole team. My manager is in touch with your agent and imma use all my relationships and resources to help all y’all even more. That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.
- FLAV”

Not only did the flamboyant personality become the team’s official “hype man,” going to games and practices in custom USA jerseys and a signature clock around his neck, he also put his money where his mouth is. Flav became an official sponsor of USA water polo for the next five years, supporting the team through Paris and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The struggles leading up to Paris came from more than just money and training.

Attacker Maddie Musselman, who led the team in goals, spoke openly before the Olympics about her husband, Patrick Woepse's, battle with Stage 4 lung cancer. The two were engaged last June, and Woepse was diagnosed three months later. They planned a wedding in four days, and were married two days before he began treatment.

Woepse worked with his doctors to make sure he could still go to Paris to support his wife. 

Steffens, too, dealt with heartache. As her family traveled to Paris to support her, her sister-in-law, Lulu Conner, died following what Steffens called a medical emergency. 

Given everything going on in all the players’ lives, it’s amazing they had the strength to get in the pool at all.

"Going into the Olympics I told myself I wanted to enjoy every minute of it, and I did,” Musselman said following the team’s final loss. “It's easy to look at your results and define that journey by that result. But I enjoyed every step along the way. I'm happy for where I am right now."

“It's all about the journey. The destination is a by-product,” Steffens said. “It's difficult that the destination, the goal, and the mission weren’t completed, but the journey is everything, the team is everything. ... It's going to be really difficult right now, but I'm super grateful for this team and this process."

The U.S. defeated Hungary on a game-winning goal by Rachel Fattal in the quarterfinals, but saw its chance at a gold medal slip away with a one-goal loss to Australia in the semis. The two teams were tied, 8-8, at the end of regulation, and Australia won on the sixth shot of a penalty shootout.

Saturday’s bronze medal loss was equally as heartbreaking. Sabrina van der Sloot scored Netherlands' game-winning goal with one second remaining to send the Americans home empty-handed.

But even though the streak came to an end and the sadness was setting in, Musselman and Krikorian couldn’t be upset. To them, they were just proud to be in Paris at all.

"It was so special and it was super fun. I have no regrets just because we didn't get it done. This is by far the most enjoyable team I've ever been a part of,” Musselman said. "Personally, with Pat and everything he's gone through, I’m just super proud of the ability for me to be here. To play for him was super fun. No regrets there.”

“They worked their butts off tonight. They did everything they could,” Krikorian said. “I wish we could have gotten the result. That’s all you can say. Honestly, you try to put yourself in the best position you can and you do your best and you live with the result. It's sadness, but you’ve got to also put this thing in perspective to real life and where this fits. I’m incredibly proud. 

"It’s been challenging, obviously, but it’s also been very inspiring and very touching and heartwarming as well at the same time.”

The U.S. women's water polo team didn't leave Paris with an Olympic medal, but they still leave Paris as models for how to battle adversity and win in and out of the pool.

“It is what the Olympics bring, whether you had success or failure. That's what you love about it – being able to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Steffens said.

"That's why we train endless hours a day. That's why the swimmers are two minutes underwater holding their breath and people are jumping off 10-meter diving boards – things I would never do. It's because of the love of the sport and the love of the challenge, the love of the opportunity and being a part of something greater. Being a part of Team USA, but more importantly, being a part of the Olympic movement.

"It's a crazy world right now, and to be here at the Olympics where you have people from different countries and different backgrounds who try to do their best and celebrate. That, I think, is a true gift."