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| Amanda
LONGAN |
| Sport |
Water Polo |
| NOC |
United States
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| Gender | Women |
| Born | 16 Jan 1997
| | Height | 1.85 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Moorpark, CA, USA |
Higher education |
Psychology - University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
She joined a friend at a tryout session because her friend's mother had told her mother that she should give it a go. She was put in goal because she was tall, and enjoyed it. She later joined the Santa Barbara 805 club in California, United States of America, at the recommendation of her high school coach Larry Felix. |
General Interest |
Hero / Idol |
US surfer Bethany Hamilton. (usctrojans.com, 01 Jan 2019) |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. After her sporting career she aspires to become a sports psychologist. (Instagram profile, 21 Dec 2021; 17 May 2021; toacorn.com, 23 Jul 2020; dailytrojan.com, 26 Feb 2019) |
Awards and honours |
She was named Best Goalkeeper at the 2022 World League Intercontinental Cup in Lima, Peru. (fina.org, 14 Mar 2022)
While competing for the University of Southern California, she won the 2018 Peter J. Cutino Award, which is given to the top male and female collegiate water polo players in the United States of America. The same year she was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation [MPSF] Player of the Year and National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Tournament Most Valuable Player [MVP]. (usctrojans.com, 01 Jan 2019)
She was named Best Goalkeeper at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Volos, Greece. (usctrojans.com, 01 Jan 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Adam Krikorian [national], USA |
Preferred position / style / stance / technique |
Goalkeeper |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She first tried the sport in her first year of high school at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, CA, United States of America. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Other information |
TECHNIQUE
She says that when she was younger she was good at being a goalkeeper because she was tall, but she has since learned how to use her frame to her advantage. "I was a strange goalie when I was in high school. I just relied on my length a lot and they taught me how to use it. I'm still figuring that out, but I've gotten I think a lot faster and a lot smarter about how I block. At the same time, they've given me this confidence to just trust my own instincts in games where it's not all black and white. I think that's the biggest thing. They've taught me how to think and prepare and, over the years, I've learned how to do that without overdoing it." (vcstar.com, 12 Dec 2019)
RELIEF OF DEFEAT
She says the US team felt pressure entering the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, having gone unbeaten while winning gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Games. When the team lost their third group match against Hungary at the 2020 Games, she said that pressure lifted. The US team went on to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. "It is definitely true that we encountered extra pressure from our unbroken Olympic winning streak of not losing a single game since 2012. Halfway through the Olympics, we lost our first game to Hungary, and frankly, it was a relief. Our looming fear had happened, and we shook it off. Once again we went back to what we knew best, and we discussed how, maybe, we were playing too tightly because of our fear of losing, and it was time to shake that up a bit and play more freely. After that, it was business as usual. We looked upon it as starting from square one again." (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022)
COACHING
She has served as a coach at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, United States of America, and has run water polo clinics. (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022)
FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a master's degree in clinical psychology at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, United States of America. (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022) |
Hobbies |
Listening to music, dancing, spending time at the pool, visiting restaurants. (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022) |
Most influential person in career |
High school coach Larry Felix. (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Everybody who makes it to [national] level is at the top of their game. They have the skills, and their talent is the base that got them into the team of 13 players. But what makes a team really special is the chemistry between the players, and the communication between each of them. That synergy is what takes a team to another level, and the respect that the players have for each other. When all those elements are combined, the team becomes super supportive of one another and everyone has each other's back. That's when the magic happens." (wmlifestyle.com, 17 Mar 2022) |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
Team |
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World Championship |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
Team |
|
| 5 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
Team |
|
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2023 |
Long Beach, CA, USA |
Team |
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Pan American Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2023 |
Santiago, CHI |
Team |
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