LIVESTREAM WATERPOLO: Rhys Howden and Bronwen Knox share Olympic journey
LIVESTREAM WATERPOLO COUNT DOWN: When dual triple Olympians Rhys Howden and Bronwen Knox were growing up in Brisbane, they never knew each other. But now the pair can almost read each other’s minds.
When dual triple Olympians Rhys Howden and Bronwen Knox were growing up in Brisbane, they never knew each other.
But now the pair can almost read each other’s minds, so close have they become over three successive Olympic water polo campaigns.
The great Queensland and Australian sporting powerhouses will be aiming for their fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year, and will be star players when the Australian Waterpolo League matches are livestreamed by www.couriermail.com.au, The Australian and across News Corp from March 31.
News Corp and Water Polo Australia have teamed up for an unprecedented livestream event that will feature more than 160 matches across two weeks of Australian Water Polo League senior action, the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships and Olympic squad practice games.
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Howden said he and Bronwen were oblivious to each other early on as children playing the sport. “But the older we got, we both started making teams and have become pretty good friends,’’ Howden said.
“We bounce things off each other, we have similar morals around water polo.
“And she is a phenomenal player.
“She is a very good advocate for women in sport and I know a lot of young women look up to her.
“And she is honoured, like myself, to pull on the green and gold.
“I have a lot of admiration for her.’’
And the admiration is mutual.
Knox said she most admired Howden for his self motivation because while she has been blessed having other national teammates to train with in Queensland, Howden has been a bit of a training loner, being the only male from the state in the Australian squad.
She said the way he mixed that isolation in training while balancing work and family life was remarkable.
“That would be really tough without teammates around you,’’ Knox said.
“I enjoy being pushed by my teammates but he does not have that opportunity so he drives his own training and performance.’’
Knox said her first memory of Howden was as a “young, skinny short kid’’ in her younger brother’s club team.
Howden then disappeared to train with the AIS in Canberra but as the pair’s career progressed, they have become close.
“Since Beijing when we made that team, we have done a lot of similar things like playing overseas and different experiences.
“As we have gone through our careers, we have been on a lot of similar paths.
“We have almost become like teammates in a way. It is nice to have someone of my generation and similar experience training almost beside you.’’
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