Members of Team Australia celebrate victory following the penalty shoot out in the Women’s Semifinal match between Team Australia and Team United States on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on Aug. 8 in Nanterre, France.
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Clive Rose/Getty Images
The U.S. women’s water polo team has lost its semifinal bout against Australia — a massive upset for the three-time defending Olympic gold medalists.
The teams exited the pool with Australia up 14-13 points following a dramatic sudden-death shootout.
Australia will now face Spain in the gold medal match, and Team USA will duke it out for bronze against the Netherlands.
Had the U.S. women’s team prevailed, they would have made the United States the only country to receive four gold medals in water polo, regardless of gender.
While water polo in America does not typically garner the same attention and high-profile endorsements as other Olympic events, this year’s women’s polo team made headlines with an unusual celebrity mascot: legendary hypeman and multi-instrumentalist Flavor Flav.
The Public Enemy co-founder said he had been inspired to support the women’s team after learning that the players often work multiple jobs to support themselves, meaning their time at the Olympics meant valuable time away from work.
“These girls are out here busting their butt to make the United States look good,” Flavor Flav told NPR. “So I said to myself, why not step in and try to help these girls out?”