 |
|
| Margaret
STEFFENS |
| Sport |
Water Polo |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 04 Jun 1993
in San Ramon, CA, USA |
| Height | 1.73 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
United States |
General Interest |
Famous relatives |
Her older sister Jessica won medals in water polo at the Olympic Games in 2008 [silver] and 2012 [gold]. Her uncle Peter Schnugg was selected in the US water polo squad for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow but did not compete as the United States of America boycotted the event. Her father Carlos competed in water polo for Puerto Rico at the Pan American Games. (gostanford.com, 2014; 3wiresports.com, 28 Feb 2012; sports-reference.com, 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
She comes from a family of water polo players. |
Name of coach |
Adam Krikorian [national], USA |
Preferred position / style / stance / technique |
Driver |
General Interest |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"If you stumble, make it part of the dance." (usawaterpolo.org, 01 Aug 2018) |
Awards and honours |
In 2012, 2014 and 2021 she was named Female Water Polo Athlete of the Year by the International Swimming Federation [FINA]. (fina.org, 17 Dec 2021; usawaterpolo.org, 01 Dec 2014)
She was named 2020 Women's Total Player of the Year by the Total Waterpolo website. (total-waterpolo.com, 26 Dec 2020)
She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2018 World Cup in Surgut, Russian Federation. (fina.org, 09 Sep 2018)
She was named National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Tournament MVP in 2017. (usawaterpolo.org, 2017)
She was named MVP at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (usawaterpolo.org, 2017; rio2016.com, 19 Aug 2016)
She was named MVP of the 2014 World League Super Final in Kunshan, People's Republic of China. (usawaterpolo.org, 01 Dec 2014) |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete, Business Owner |
Languages |
English, Spanish |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Marge (usawaterpolo.org, 01 Jan 2020) |
Hero / Idol |
Serbian water polo player Filip Filipovic, her siblings Teresa, Charlie and Jessica, US football player Mia Hamm. (swimswam.com, 02 Dec 2014; usawaterpolo.org, 01 Aug 2018; waterpolista.com, 01 Jan 2020) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began playing water polo at an early age and was competing in U18 matches at age eight. |
Handedness |
Right |
General Interest |
Other information |
PLAYING IN EUROPE
In the 2018/19 season she played in Spain for CN Sabadell, winning European and Spanish national league titles. During the 2017/18 season she played in Hungary and helped UVSE win the OB 1 title. (usawaterpolo.org, 31 Aug 2019)
OCCUPATION
Alongside US water polo player Tony Azevedo she is the co-founder of 6-8 Sports, a water polo app that supports water polo players and their training programmes. In June 2020 she began a corporate strategy internship at a technology company based in San Jose, CA, United States of America. (Instagram profile, 19 Jan 2020; 6-8Sports Instagram profile, 17 Jan 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Feb 2021)
FURTHER EDUCATION
After completing a bachelor's degree in science, technology and society in 2016, she began studying for a master's degree in management, science and engineering at Stanford University in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jun 2020; polybio.org, 01 Jun 2018) |
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
She likes to dance before a match. (usawaterpolo.org, 01 Aug 2018) |
Hobbies |
Hiking, kayaking and canoeing, writing, singing, dancing, reading. (teamusa.org, 01 Aug 2019) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with her sister Jessica. (olympicchannel.com, 23 May 2020) |
Milestones |
She became the leading goalscorer in women's water polo at the Olympic Games, when she surpassed Italian player Tania Di Mario's previous record of 47 goals at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. She ended the 2020 Games with a total of 56 goals from her appearances at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games. (fina.org, 30 Jul 2021, 07 Aug 2021; usawaterpolo.org, 30 Jul 2021) |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2012 |
London, ENG |
Team |
|
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 |
|
| 1 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
Team |
|
| 5 |
2013 |
Barcelona, ESP |
Team |
|
| 6 |
2011 |
Shanghai, CHN |
Team |
|
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2023 |
Long Beach, CA, USA |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2018 |
Surgut, RUS |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2014 |
Khanty-Mansiysk, RUS |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2010 |
Christchurch, NZL |
Team |
|
Pan American Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2023 |
Santiago, CHI |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2019 |
Lima, PER |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2015 |
Toronto, CAN |
Team |
|
| 1 |
2011 |
Guadalajara, MEX |
Team |
|
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