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Maud MEGENS
Sport Water Polo
NOC Netherlands   
GenderWomen
Born06 Feb 1996
Height1.83 m
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Higher education
Psychology - University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA, USA
General Interest
Famous relatives
Her mother Patricia was part of the Dutch water polo team that finished fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. (usctrojans.com, 16 Nov 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 18 Nov 2020)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
She took up the sport after watching the Dutch women's water polo team win gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on TV.
General Interest
Awards and honours
While at the University of Southern California, in 2021 she received the Peter J. Cutino Award, the highest honour in collegiate water polo in the United States of America. She was also named 2021 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches [ACWPC] National Player of the Year and 2021 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation [MPSF] Player of the Year. (usctrojans.com, 02 Sep 2021, 29 Apr 2021)

She was named on the Media All-Star Team at the world championships in 2015 and 2019. (usctrojans.com, 16 Nov 2020; fina.org, 27 May 2015)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She became interested in water polo at age 12.
Further Personal Information
Languages
English
General Interest
Other information
INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT
In 2021 she announced that she did not intend to continue playing for the Dutch national team. "I noticed that the fire has been extinguished after all these years, and then you have to be honest with your teammates and coaches, but especially with yourself. I'm looking forward to the rest of my life and hope to find a job that makes me happy." (waterpolo.nl, 29 Dec 2021)

STUDY BREAK
In 2019 she put her studies at the University of Southern California on hold and did not compete during the 2020 US collegiate water polo season in order to focus on preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She returned to competing for the university in 2021. (swimswam.com, 17 Feb 2021; usctrojans.com, 01 Jan 2021, 16 Nov 2020; trouw.nl, 29 Apr 2020)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2021 Tokyo, JPN Team  
World Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
7 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team  
9 2017 Budapest, HUN Team  
2 2015 Kazan, RUS Team  
European Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
4 2020 Budapest, HUN Team  
1 2018 Barcelona, ESP Team  
2 2016 Belgrade, SRB Team  
2 2014 Budapest, HUN Team