Anna Espar Llaquet (born 8 January 1993) is a Spanish water polo player who won the gold medal at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.[1] She also won the silver medal at the 2012[2] and 2020 Summer Olympics.[3]

Anni Espar
Personal information
Full name	Anna Espar Llaquet
Born	8 January 1993 (1993-01-08) (age 29) Barcelona, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Position	Driver
Handedness	R
Club information
Current team	CN Mataró
Number	3
National team
Years	Team
2010—	Spain
Medal record Women's water polo Representing  Spain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 2 0 World Championships 1 2 0 European Championships 3 0 1 Total 4 4 1 Olympic Games 2012 London Team 2020 Tokyo Team World Championships 2013 Barcelona Team 2017 Budapest Team 2019 Gwangju Team European Championships 2014 Budapest 2020 Budapest 2022 Split 2018 Barcelona

College career

Espar joined the University of Southern California women's water polo team in 2012.[4] As a Freshman she was named to the ACWPC All-America First Team,[5] All-MPSF First Team,[6] MPSF All-Newcomer Team[6] and MPSF Player of the Week on 25 February after scoring 8 goals in her first major tournament as a Trojan.[7]

In 2013, she won the NCAA in the longest match in championship game history.[8] Espar scored the winning goal in the third sudden-death overtime period.[9]

International career

Espar played on the Spain national team which won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[2] She scored 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team.[2]

In 2012 Espar was named Best European Female Water Polo Player by the LEN.[10]

Espar joined the Sidney Uni Lions women's water polo team in 2017 winning the Australian League and ending with an unprecedented undefeated season for the Lions (23 wins and a draw in 24 matches). Espar was also named to the 2017 NWPL All Star Team.[11]

Espar also played on the Spanish national team which won the silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[3] She scored again 15 goals and was named to the Olympic All-Star Team for the second time in her career.[12]

Family

Espar's younger sister, Clara, is also a professional water polo player.

International competitions

• 2011 FINA Junior World Championships, Trieste, Italy, 1st place.[13]
• 2012 Olympic Games, London, United Kingdom, 2nd place.
• 2013 FINA World Championships, Barcelona, Spain, 1st place.
• 2013 FINA Junior World Championships, Volos, Greece, 2nd place.[14]
• 2014 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.[15]
• 2014 FINA World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, 3rd place.[16]
• 2016 FINA World League, Shanghai, China, 2nd place.[17]
• 2017 FINA World Championships, Budapest, Hungary, 2nd place.[18]
• 2018 LEN Europa Cup, Pontevedra, Spain, 3rd place.
• 2018 Mediterranean Games, Tarragona, Spain, 1st place.[19]
• 2018 European Championship, Barcelona, Spain, 3rd place.
• 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 2nd place.[20]
• 2020 European Championship, Budapest, Hungary. 1st place.
• 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan, 2nd place.

See also

• Spain women's Olympic water polo team records and statistics
• List of Olympic medalists in water polo (women)
• List of women's Olympic water polo tournament top goalscorers
• List of world champions in women's water polo
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in water polo

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anni Espar.

• Anni Espar at FINA
• Anni Espar at Olympics.com
• Anni Espar at Olympedia
• Anni Espar at the Spanish Olympic Committee (in Spanish)
• Anni Espar on Instagram

Awards
Preceded by Alexandra Asimaki	LEN European Water Polo Player of the Year 2012	Succeeded by Jennifer Pareja

На других языках

[it] Anni Espar