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Rowena WEBSTER
Sport Water Polo
NOC Australia   
GenderWomen
Born27 Dec 1987 in Melbourne, AUS
Height1.77 m
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Melbourne, VIC, AUS
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Victorian Phoenix Water Polo: Australia
General Interest
Famous relatives
Her sister Larissa Webster has represented Australia in water polo, winning a silver medal at the 2007 World League Super Final in Montreal, QC, Canada.(SportsDeskOnline, 14 Feb 2020; australianwaterpolo.com.au, 13 Jul 2011)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"My older siblings were playing this sport called water polo that I did not really know too much about. I wanted to be a part of the fun so I started playing through school."
General Interest
Hero / Idol
US basketball player Michael Jordan, Australian swimmer Ky Hunt. (vis.org.au, 22 Feb 2012)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Greig Richardson [club]; Paul Oberman [national]
Handedness
Right
When and where did you begin this sport?
She got involved in the sport at age 12 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
International Debut
Year
2005
Competing for
Australia
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete
General Interest
Nicknames
Rowie, Casper (cronullawaterpolo.com.au, 01 Jan 2018; vis.org.au, 22 Feb 2012)
Other information
TEAM LEADER
She was named captain of the Australian national team in 2017. "Leading by example is always something that I have tried to focus on. Behaviours are important in and out of the water. We are role models in the community and I always strive to inspire the girls to be better people along with being better athletes. I also believe being as approachable as possible helps the team communicate effectively, plus I never take myself too seriously, I'm as much of the team clown as the others." (sirensport.com.au, 20 Jul 2021; ais.gov.au, 05 Mar 2020; waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 31 Aug 2018; balmainwaterpolo.com.au, 14 Aug 2018; thewomensgame.com, 09 Sep 2018)

CAREER-THREATENING INJURY
In 2018 she had a serious back injury. "I thought I was going to have to retire, to be completely honest. Two-and-a-half months into my rehab, with no real improvement in my symptoms, I had that conversation with a group of the Australian team staff; doctors, medics, physios, my coach and the assistant coach. I asked, 'Is this injury career-ending?' Luckily, they said, 'No, we believe we can get you back, fighting fit'." (playersvoice.com.au, 16 Aug 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 2019 she became member of the athlete advisory committee of the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS]. In 2021 she was elected as a member of the athletes' commission for the Australian Olympic Committee [AOC]. She has also served as an ambassador for Pride in Sport, a non-profit LGBTQ inclusion programme in Australia. (waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 08 Aug 2021; sirensport.com.au, 20 Jul 2021; Pride in Sport Australia Facebook page, 17 Jul 2021; Water Polo Australia Facebook page, 29 Jun 2021; paddle.org.au, 20 Nov 2019)

STUDYING ABROAD
She has spent time studying at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, United States of America. (Facebook profile, 10 Aug 2018)
International Debut
Opponent
New Zealand
Further Personal Information
Languages
English
General Interest
Awards and honours
She was named to the Tournament Team at the 2019 Intercontinental Cup in Perth, WA, Australia. (fina.org, 30 Mar 2019)

She was presented with the Debbie Watson Medal as the Most Valuable Player of the 2016/17 Australian Water Polo League. (theleader.com.au, 11 Apr 2017)

She was selected for the 2015 National League All-Star match in Australia. (waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 25 Mar 2015)

She was named the 2014 National Open Female Player of the Year at the Water Polo Australia Awards. (waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 01 Dec 2014)

She was named Player of the Tournament at the 2014 World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russian Federation. (waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 20 Aug 2014)
Sport Specific Information
Preferred position / style / stance / technique
Centre back
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Physical Education - Deakin University: Geelong, VIC, AUS
General Interest
Injuries
In January 2018 she suffered from bulging discs in her lower back. She returned to the national team in June that year. (Instagram profile, 10 Aug 2018; waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 09 Feb 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough." (thewomensgame.com, 09 Sep 2018)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2021 Tokyo, JPN Team  
6 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team  
3 2012 London, ENG Team  
World Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team  
8 2017 Budapest, HUN Team  
4 2015 Kazan, RUS Team  
2 2013 Barcelona, ESP Team  
5 2011 Shanghai, CHN Team  
6 2009 Rome, ITA Team  
World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2018 Surgut, RUS Team  
2 2014 Khanty-Mansiysk, RUS Team  
2 2010 Christchurch, NZL Team