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|
| Makenzie
FISCHER |
| Sport |
Water Polo |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 29 Mar 1997
in Laguna Beach, CA, USA |
| Height | 1.85 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Laguna Beach, CA, USA |
Occupation |
Athlete, Student |
Languages |
English |
Higher education |
Mechanical Engineering - Stanford University: United States |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began playing water polo at age 10 at Laguna Beach Water Polo Club in California, United States of America. |
Why this sport? |
She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father Erich. "I think I've wanted to be an Olympian ever since I figured out my dad was one. It was before I even understood what being an Olympian actually was, but I just knew that it was something special." |
Club / Team |
SET Water Polo Club: Lake Forest, CA, USA |
Name of coach |
Adam Krikorian [national], USA |
Preferred position / style / stance / technique |
Centre back |
Handedness |
Right |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Fish, Fishy (nbcolympics.com, 16 Jun 2016; Twitter profile, 09 Jul 2016) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning a gold medal alongside her sister Aria at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (usawaterpolo.org, 14 Jul 2021) |
Most influential person in career |
Her father Erich Fischer. (archivepyc.nbcolympics.com, 16 Jun 2016) |
Hero / Idol |
US footballer Mia Hamm. (usawaterpolo.org, 26 Jul 2019) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." (usawaterpolo.org, 12 Aug 2015) |
Awards and honours |
While competing for Stanford University, she received the 2019 Peter J. Cutino Award as the top collegiate water polo player in the United States of America. She was also named Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Championship and 2019 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation [MPSF] Player of the Year, and received the Stanford Athletics Al Masters Award, presented to the Stanford student-athlete who attains the highest standards of athletic performance, leadership and academic achievement. (usawaterpolo.org, 01 Jan 2020; gostanford.com, 01 Jan 2019)
She was named MVP of the 2017 World League. (fina.org, 11 Jun 2017) |
Famous relatives |
Her father Erich represented the United States of America in water polo at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Her younger sister Aria was a member of the US teams [along with Makenzie] that won gold medals at the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2020. Her mother Leslie played water polo at Stanford University. (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Jan 2022; usawaterpolo.org, 12 Aug 2015; gostanford.com, 01 Jan 2019) |
Other information |
FATHER'S INFLUENCE
She was coached by her father Erich from age 10 to 14. "Anyone who knows my dad knows he's pretty intense, so we were very fortunate to get a very solid base for water polo from him. I think all the girls coached by him feel the same way. He was definitely the toughest on me and Aria [her sister]. It was really fun, and we learned a ton, but at times we were a little bit scared, at least in certain moments. I was thinking, 'Oh, I really messed up. I wonder what my dad's going to think', but we were really lucky he coached us." She says she has also valued the lessons from his experiences as a player, particularly after he placed fourth with the US team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. "I think the biggest lesson that he imparted on us was just make sure you finish strong, make sure you give it your all at the [Olympic] Games so there are no regrets afterwards. That's something Aria and I have internalised. Just seeing his experiences and having that bitter taste in his mouth, even many years later, was something we didn't want to feel." (usawaterpolo.org, 14 Jul 2021)
COLLEGIATE BREAK
She sat out the 2020 and 2021 collegiate seasons with Stanford University in order to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (gostanford.com, 01 Aug 2020)
FURTHER EDUCATION
In 2021 she began studying for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Stanford University in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2021) |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
Team |
|
World Championship |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
Team |
|
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2018 |
Surgut, RUS |
Team |
|
Pan American Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2019 |
Lima, PER |
Team |
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| 1 |
2015 |
Toronto, CAN |
Team |
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