Serbia wins gold in men's water polo; Americans capture bronze

Field Level Media|published: 08/11/2024, 10:07am EDT

Aug 9, 2024; Nanterre, France; Serbia centre back Nikola Jaksic (8) in a men's water polo semifinal during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Paris La Défense Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports

PARIS -- Serbia extended its reign over Olympic water polo by beating Croatia 13-11 for a third consecutive gold in the men's event on Sunday, the final day of competition in the 2024 Paris Games.

The Balkan battle was spirited and physical, with both teams committing a slew of fouls and occasionally putting an errant hand onto an opponent's head.

In the end, the Serbians were too strong, though, leading for all but a handful of minutes on their way to another Olympic triumph.

After the final whistle, track-suited Serbian staff jumped into the pool to celebrate with the players.

The United States won the bronze medal playoff earlier Sunday in a shootout against Hungary to claim its first medal in the men's event in 16 years. American goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg denied the Hungarians a goal after regulation in the 11-8 win, per USA Today.

"There was a couple of times, those guys, for example, came up, waited for a second to see where I would go, and I was like, ‘OK, I know exactly what you're trying to do,'" said Weinberg, 22, who saved 16 of 24 shots in the bronze-medal match, per USA Today.

--Reuters, Special to Field Level Media