< back
Nicola ZAGAME
Sport Water Polo
NOC Australia   
GenderWomen
Born11 Aug 1990 in Sydney, AUS
Height1.74 m
Weight 72 kg
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Sydney, NSW, AUS
Higher education
Medical Radiation Science - University of Sydney: Australia
General Interest
Hobbies
Running, swimming. (dailytelegraph.com.au, 08 Nov 2016)
Injuries
She underwent shoulder surgery in December 2013 to correct a shoulder injury she had been carrying since 2012. The surgery forced her to miss the 2014 international season. (ausport.gov.au, 27 Mar 2014; aquaticsuperseries.com.au, 17 Jan 2015)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"My friend asked me to play with her and I was already a swimmer so I decided to give it a try."
Handedness
Right
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up the sport at age 12 in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
International Debut
Year
2009
Competing for
Australia
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Health Care Professional
General Interest
Nicknames
Ziggy, Dumper (infoweb.newsbank.com, 19 Apr 2010; cronullanews.sydney, 12 Feb 2016)
Other information
CHANGE OF SPORT
After competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she decided to look into trying other sports instead of continuing with water polo. She had already competed in several ocean swimming races and also contemplated making a switch to Ironman triathlon. "I just love doing community based swims and runs. They are a lot of fun." (dailytelegraph.com.au, 08 Nov 2016)
Other sports
She competed in surf lifesaving at national junior level. (olympics.com.au, 12 Jun 2012)
Further Personal Information
Languages
English
General Interest
Awards and honours
She played in the 2015 National League All-Star match in Australia. (waterpoloaustralia.com.au, 06 Apr 2015)

She was named in the All-Star team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (aquaticsuperseries.com.au, 17 Dec 2014)
Sport Specific Information
Preferred position / style / stance / technique
Centre back, Driver
International Debut
Tournament
World League
General Interest
Famous relatives
Her partner John Cotterill has represented Australia in water polo at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Her father John Zagame has served as president of Cronulla Sharks Water Polo Club. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, 14 Aug 2016; couriermail.com.au, 21 Jun 2016; theleader.com.au, 18 Jul 2016)
Further Personal Information
Family
Partner John Cotterill

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team  
3 2012 London, ENG Team  
World Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
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
2 2010 Christchurch, NZL Team