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Gabriella Palm rises from the schoolgirl ranks to dare to dream about Olympic selection

Elite Queensland water polo player from the Brisbane Barracudas, Gabriella Palm, is now goalkeeping for Australia and closer to fulfilling her ambition of becoming an Olympian

Australian water polo player Gabi Palm.
Australian water polo player Gabi Palm.

Gabriella Palm was once a little girl lured into water polo because she thought it would be an ideal way to meet people at her then new school, Brisbane Girls Grammar.

Little did she know, seven years later, she would be a goalkeeping for Australia and closer to fulfilling her ambition of becoming an Olympian.

“Making this jump into the seniors is such an honour,’’ Palm reflected ahead of playing three “friendly’’ internationals against Italy.

“To wear the Australian togs with the flag on them, singing the national anthem, it is what I work for. It is such an honour.’’

From the Brisbane Barracudas based in West End, Palm has come a long way since, when aged 12, she was absorbed into the Brisbane Girls Grammar water polo community.

Tall with a long reach, she was physically a natural fit for goalkeeping, even if she was a very raw talent.

“I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just there because I was loving it and loving being in the pool,’’ she said.

But she started transforming from a girl with ability into an elite young player when named captain of the state under 14 side which claimed the national title. She was also named goalkeeper of the tournament

Palm would later also make the Australian team in her age group for the world youth championship (2016) and then the Australian under 20 team before making the jump into the Australian Stingers squad last year.

As she has climbed the ladder of success, the stakes have also risen and to sharpen her skills for 2018 she spent the last three months of 2017 playing club water polo in Italy.

“I am getting some experience against the Europeans and practice against their style of shots.’’

She said the whole experience in Italy, both in the pool and out of it, helped her grow. “I have grown as a player and a person and it is helping shape me toward my Olympic dream.’’

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/southeast/gabriella-palm-rises-from-the-schoolgirl-ranks-to-dare-to-dream-about-olympic-selection/news-story/9103d89ced0b797342a4f5790aada985