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Bridgette Ireland (Gusterson)

Age

51

Olympic History

Sydney 2000

Career Events

Water Polo Women's Tournament

 

Bridgette's Story

1973 -

Bridgette Ireland (now Gusterson) won a gold medal for Australia in women’s water polo at Sydney 2000. The West Australian had special reason to celebrate the historic victory – her sister Danielle Woodhouse was also on the team. Gusterson was captain of the team and proved a pivotal player during the tournament. She led Australia with 11 goals, none more memorable than her last-minute goal in the semi-final which secured Australia a 7-6 win over Russia. The Aussies went on to win another heart-stopper in the final, defeating the United States 4-3 when Yvette Higgins scored with 1.3 seconds left on the clock. It was the first time women’s water polo had been played at an Olympics.

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