The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), cap number or name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
Team – Olympic winning streak (winning three or more Olympic titles in a row)
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), name of the team (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, 52 male goalkeepers have been named in the national water polo team in three or more Olympic tournaments.
The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Thirteen male goalkeepers have been named in the national water polo tea in four or more Olympic tournaments between 1900 and 2016 inclusive.
Legend and abbreviation
– Hosts
Apps – Appearances
Male goalkeepers who have been named in the national team in four or more Olympic tournaments
The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
As of 2016, eight male goalkeepers have won three or more Olympic medals in water polo.
Legend
– Hosts
Male goalkeepers who have won three or more Olympic medals in water polo
The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), number of Olympic bronze medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
As of 2016, seven male goalkeepers have won two or more Olympic gold medals in water polo.
Legend
– Hosts
Male goalkeepers who won two or more Olympic gold medals in water polo
The following table is pre-sorted by date of the match (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Since 1996, nine male water polo goalkeepers have each saved sixteen or more shots in an Olympic match.
The first man to do so was Christopher Duplanty, with the United States men's national team in Atlanta. He blocked 20 shots on 24 July 1996, setting the record for the most shots saved by a water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match.
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic match since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
Team – Host team
Player‡ – Player who won the tournament with his team
The following table is pre-sorted by number of saves (in descending order), edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Since 1996, six male goalkeepers have saved 75 or more shots in an Olympic water polo tournament.
Stefano Tempesti of Italy is the first water polo goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2008 Olympics, Tempesti saved 83 shots. Four years later in London, he blocked 87 shots, setting the record for the most saves by a water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament.
Slobodan Soro is the second goalkeeper to achieve this feat twice. At the 2012 London Olympics, Soro saved 75 shots for Serbia. In Rio de Janeiro, he saved 81 shots for Brazil.
At the 2012 Summer Games, Josip Pavić saved 85 shots, including nine in the gold medal match, helping the Croatia team win the Olympics. He is the most efficient one among these six goalkeepers.
Legend and abbreviation
Team – Host team
Player‡ – Player who won the tournament with his team
MP – Matches played
Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
70.2% – Highest save efficiency
Male goalkeepers with 75 or more saves in an Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996)
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), number of matches played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
At the 2004 Summer Games, Nikolay Maksimov saved 62 shots, including seven in the bronze medal match, helping Russia win the match.
Stefano Tempesti of Italy blocked 83 shots at the 2008 Olympics. In the 2012 edition, he saved 87 shots, helping the Italian team win the Olympic silver medal.
Slobodan Soro, representing Brazil, saved 81 shots at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Legend and abbreviation
Team – Host team
Player‡ – Player who won the tournament with his team
MP – Matches played
Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Male goalkeepers with the most saves in each Olympic tournament (statistics since 1996)
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper in a single Olympic tournament since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
Team – Host team
Player‡ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most shots saved by a male goalkeeper, one tournament (statistics since 1996)
The following table is pre-sorted by number of total saves (in descending order), number of total Olympic matches played (in ascending order), date of the last Olympic match played (in ascending order), date of the first Olympic match played (in ascending order), name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Five-time Olympian Stefano Tempesti holds the record for the most shots saved by a water polo goalkeeper at the Olympics since 1996, with 295 saves.
Nikolay Maksimov, representing Russia, saved 178 shots at three Olympics (1996–2004). Eight years later, he represented Kazakhstan at the 2012 London Olympics, blocking 50 shots.
Slobodan Soro saved 132 shots in 2008 and 2012, representing Serbia. He was a member of the Brazil men's national team that competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, blocking 81 shots.
Legend
– Hosts
All-time male goalkeepers with 200 or more saves at the Olympics (statistics since 1996)
The following table shows the historical progression of the record of total shots saved by a male water polo goalkeeper at the Summer Olympics since 1996. Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend
Team – Host team
Player‡ – Player who won the tournament with his team
Historical progression of records: Most shots saved by a male goalkeeper, all-time (statistics since 1996)
On 6 July 1912, Charles Smith of Great Britain carried the national flag at the opening ceremony of the 1912 Games in Stockholm, becoming the first water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Seven days later, He won his second Olympic gold medal with his teammates.[3]
Zdravko-Ćiro Kovačić, representing Yugoslavia, was the flag bearer during the opening ceremony at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.[52]
After winning bronze in the men's tournament, Evert Kroon, the starting goalkeeper of the Dutch water polo team, carried the national flag of the Netherlands at the closing ceremony of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.[53]
Forty years later, Josip Pavić of Croatia was the flag bearer during the opening ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first water polo goalkeeper to be given the honour in the 21st century.[35]
Legend
1912 O – Opening ceremony of the 1912 Summer Olympics
1976 C – Closing ceremony of the 1976 Summer Olympics
– Hosts
Flag bearer‡ – Flag bearer who won the tournament with his team
Male water polo goalkeepers who were flag bearers at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games
The following tables are pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), cap number or name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively.
^ abcdefgIn 1992, 12 of the 15 former Soviet Republics competed together as the Unified Team and marched under the Olympic Flag in the Barcelona Games.