First introduced in 2010, the World Aquatics Athlete of the Year Award honours the best male and female athletes in each aquatic discipline: swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving.

Male Water Polo Player of the Year | Dusan Mandic (Serbia)

Image Source: Dusan Mandic shoots and scores over the Spanish defense during Day 6 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Serbian water polo icon Dusan Mandic delivered a prolific 2024 campaign, culminating in Male Water Polo Player of the Year honours. Known for his ability to rise to the occasion, Mandic led Serbia to its third consecutive Olympic gold medal—a feat that seemed improbable following a turbulent three years after the Tokyo 2020 Games and an inconsistent start in Paris 2024.

Mandic entered the French capital with one of his country’s most significant honours: carrying Serbia’s flag at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. The 30-year-old left-hander was simply dominant in Paris, finishing the tournament as its top scorer with 26 goals and driving Serbia to yet another gold.

Image Source: Team Serbia pose on the podium after the Men's Gold Medal match between Serbia and Croatia at the Paris 2024 Olympics (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

However, the road to victory wasn’t smooth. Serbia struggled in the group stage, suffering losses to Australia, Spain, and Hungary before barely advancing to the knockout rounds. Once there, they rediscovered their championship form, rattling off three straight wins, including a thrilling 13-11 victory over longtime rivals Croatia in the final.

Female Water Polo Player of the Year | Bea Ortiz (Spain)

Image Source: Bea Ortiz reacts to Olympic gold at Paris 2024 (Mike Lewis/World Aquatics)

Spanish water polo star Bea Ortiz fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2024, leading Spain to its first-ever Olympic women’s water polo gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games.

The victory was more than a decade in the making, as Spain had previously finished runners-up at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. Arriving in Paris determined to dethrone the three-time defending Olympic and reigning world champions, the United States, Ortiz and her teammates made an early statement with a stirring 13-11 win over Team USA in group play.

Spain’s path to gold was anything but easy. The team survived a tense penalty shootout against Australia in the semifinals before facing them again in the final. Inside a raucous La Défense Arena packed with 17,000 fans, Ortiz delivered a brilliant four-goal performance, firing pinpoint shots past Australian goalkeeper Gabriella Palm to secure Spain’s historic 11-9 victory.

Image Source: Team Spain celebrates on the podium after the Women's Gold Medal match against Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Ortiz’s excellence extended beyond the Olympic stage. Competing at an elite level throughout 2024, she was instrumental in Spain’s bronze-medal run at the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 (scoring eight goals and tallying nine assists) and shined at the European Water Polo Championships in Eindhoven, where she claimed silver and tournament MVP honours.

With unforgettable performances on the biggest stages, Dusan Mandic and Bea Ortiz left no doubt as the to who were the top male and female water polo players of 2024.