Miki Oca, the architect of women's water polo who avoids the spotlight ("I have no gift")

After the thirteen Olympic women's water polo champions, one man was the most sought after on Saturday in all of Paris: Miki Oca Gaia. If we say that he is the true architect of Spanish women's water polo over the last 15 years, we are not saying anything nonsense. Olympic gold in 1996 as a player and Olympic gold in 2024 as women's coach...

He seems to have been touched by a magic wand, which is why he was asked if he felt like a lucky man: "I'm very lucky, I'm serious, really, I'm completely serious. I was very lucky as a player to be in a group of extremely talented players and to have a great coach, and now I'm very lucky to be in a group that has excellent players, committed, eager and very good competitors."

As if that were not enough, he made it clear that he does not have "any gift or anything. I'm a normal coach, we work and the girls have a lot of quality and a lot of talent, and above all a lot of work and a lot of commitment." So, what has changed in these Olympics? "This is high competition, sometimes you are missing very 'little' and that 'little' comes out in another competition", she added.

"I think that this group has been at a very high level for a long time, so I don't know if anything has changed, but what has changed is that we are Olympic gold medalists and we have never been. I think that we have been at a very good level throughout the tournament and we have beaten the United States in the group match, Holland in the semi-finals, but in high competition the results sometimes go up and down," she stressed.

HER EVALUATION OF MARTINA TERRÉ

Regarding goalkeeper Martina Terré, key in the final, she indicated that "she is young," but that she has already been "doing very well in several tournaments. We are very lucky because we have a goal that is very well protected by both the Martina as for Laura (Ester). Martina is the one who is having more minutes lately, but both of them give us a lot of security at the back," he declared.

The Madrid native also confessed that he had practically forgotten his gold medal as a player in Atlanta'96. "I am absolutely happy with this one", he concluded, while admitting that he does not know "what this gold means. I have no idea. We have it, we are very happy and it is the fruit of the work of the whole group, even some who have not been able to be here, but who have also been part of the team, but I do not know what it means" , continued Oca, who does not believe that this triumph is "neither the end nor the beginning" but rather "a step" that they have taken.

"There are veteran players who are very talented and who have been competing for a long time and there are young girls who have been growing very well, who have also shown in their lower categories, and now in the absolute national team, that they are good competitors. It is a group that works, that is very united" , he stressed.

For this reason, he said he was "happy for the team. They all work and contribute. Some have been waiting longer and obviously I am very happy for those who have been looking for this medal for years, of course I am. But also for the young women who have come and have been giving their all to the team work and to building all this. I have been hearing from them throughout the preparation that they were coming for the gold and there they are, they have taken it."

Miki Oca must have had a bad time after the medal. A man who knew very well years ago what fame was, for years he has avoided it like the plague. Low profile, he is not a fan of interviews, photos and flattery. He does not even allow himself the luxury of giving away one more word in a technical commentary. He leaves all the limelight to them, the champions. As if it were not with him. As if he won an Olympic gold every day...

RFEN Aquatics Communication. Photo: Miki Oca, instructing his player Judtih Forca in a match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games / (c) COE