Alex Obert, a three-time Olympian and 2024 Paris bronze medallist, has announced his retirement from the United States of America Water Polo men's team.
Three-time Pan American Games gold medallist Alex Obert and two-time World League Super Final silver medallist retires after nearly a decade representing Team USA.
The sport, Obert said, "has given me so much over the last 20 years, culminating in the incredible honour of becoming an Olympic medallist. When I started playing water polo, I could never have dreamed of the career I would have, but more importantly, of the amazing people it would bring into my life.
"I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all my coaches," he said, "especially Stu Ryland, Bruce Hastie, James Graham, and Dejan Udovicic. Each one of you has given me so much. I will always be grateful for your guidance and support. To my parents — my No. 1 fans and coaches from the very beginning — thank you. I would never have reached my dreams without the sacrifices you made to get me there. Your love and support mean the world to me."
USA men's team head coach Dejan Udovicic said Obert was one of the first new players to join the team in 2013, when he began coaching the USA squad.
"He is the example of hard work meeting opportunity," Udovicic said. "He was not the most recruited athlete and did not play at the most famous school but he wanted to be great and wanted to put in the hours. He did whatever our team needed. I am very pleased he was able to join us again for the road to Paris, ending his career with a bronze medal. I'm proud to have been his coach. I thank him for all he did for Team USA and I wish him and his family the best."
Obert, a native of Loomis, California, was not a top water polo prospect out of high school (where he also played basketball). He took a grey-shirt year at Sierra College in Northern California, then transferred to the University of the Pacific where he became a foundational player who helped build UOP's water polo programme into a national power. A three-time All-American and Cutino Award finalist, Obert helped UOP clinch a berth in the 2013 NCAA final, earning second-place, and closed his college career with 157 goals in Stockton.
From there, Obert quickly became a mainstay on Team USA as a two-metre man and part of a young crop of athletes added in 2013. During the next decade, Obert was a force. At his second Olympics — the 2020 Tokyo Games — he delivered 11 goals en route to a sixth-place finish. After Tokyo, Obert and his wife, Michele (a former star goalie at UOP), welcomed a daughter, McKenna, and it looked like his international career might be over.
In the summer of 2023, however, he returned to the pool to celebrate his former USA team-mate and goalkeeper Merrill Moses' legacy in water polo. It ignited a spark, and it wasn't long before Obert was back in the game. He returned in time to help USA win gold at the 2023 Pan American Games and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. From there he helped the USA men's team reach its ultimate goal — a return to the Olympic podium for the first time since 2008.
In addition, Obert has been a long-time competitor for the New York Athletic Club domestically. Internationally, he played professionally for VK Jug in Croatia and Hydraikos in Greece.
In closing, Obert said: "A special thank you to my wife, who came into my life 13 years ago because of this sport and has changed [my life] forever. To everyone from Loomis to UOP, and to the entire nation who has supported me throughout my career, I am deeply thankful. Finally, to all my brothers who I've had the privilege of suiting up with: the bonds we've built over the years are what I will cherish and miss the most."
The 32-year-old Obert also shared some advice for the next generation.
"To every young athlete out there; chase your dreams, embrace the hard work, and cherish every moment," he said. "You never know where the sport might take you."