It’s normal to have siblings play together in the pool and like with the Plevritou sisters from Greece, possibly all three in at once. However, Spanish sisters Martina Terre and Mariona Terre alternate as they both play the goalkeeper position.
The scene was the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC) in July and the World Cup finals were being played for both men and women. Competing for silver medallist Spain were goalkeeper sisters Martina Terre and Mariona Terre.
I cannot remember this happening at the senior international level before, although back in 2012 three sets of sisters played for Greece at the inaugural youth world championships in Perth, Australia.
At the same tournament were the Wigo mirror twins — Janson Wigo and Drac Wigo — playing for United States of America. The Woodhead siblings — Ellen Woodhead, Dylan Woodhead and Quinn Woodhead contested the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in 2023.
But not playing the same goalkeeper position.
“We are goalkeepers, firstly because we love to be goalkeepers, but the reason why Mariona started was because I got injured and the club needed a goalkeeper and they thought Mariona would be good for the position. After my return we kept playing as goalkeepers because we loved it,” Martina said.
“I live in Spain, in Barcelona, around my family and friends. I play for Club Natacio Sabadell and I have studied Global Studies at Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. I am currently studying an MBA Master in the University of La Rioja via online.
“I started playing when I was around 10 years old and Mariona, I think, started at nine-10 years old, too.”
She started playing in Club Natacio Catalunya because It was the club of her neighbourhood. When she was 16-17 years old, she switched to Club Natacio Sant Andreu where she spent seven seasons and this year she changed to Club Natacio Sabadell.
“I do not remember all of my trophies that I have won, but the ones that are important for me are: European champions in 2022 and Olympic gold medallist in 2024 and European club champion in 2025, Martina said. Also throw in a World Aquatics Championship bronze from Singapore and a World Aquatics World Cup Final silver from Sydney this year.
On helping each other with their careers, she said: “Of course, we always help each other, because we are sisters and we want the best for each of us, but also because we know we have always things to improve and having the opportunity to have a goalkeeper who can understand and know how to react to your mistakes makes it easy to change them.
“Every goalie is different from the other one, but for me the most important skills that can help someone to really improve is to align your body with your mind to create not only strong physically but also a strong mindset.
“Being a goalie is really easy. If you like it, you just need to try to help your team by saving as many balls as you can and trying to help the players to be aware of what is happening in the field,” Martina said.
On what it takes to be an elite goalkeeper, Martina responded: “Training for a goalkeeper is basically to do legs all the time; try to have strong legs and good reactions to jump as much as possible, and be faster than the ball. Reactions are also good in, for example, centre shoots or post shoots.”
Has there been a match above any other? “I do not know which was my best and worst match but what I can tell is that I always try to do my best, and that I always love to be there for the time, and for me is so much fun to play and enjoy with my team inside the water.”
With two such high achievers, there must be a history of sport in the family.
“There is not any other sporting skills in my family. The only two who tried water polo were Mariona and I. We have one more sibling — she is older than me (born 2001), and she played basketball for almost 15 years.”
Is there anything we should know about Martina the person?
“Something that people do not know about me is that I overthink everything and sometimes this makes me feel that I control myself or my emotions.
“Outside of water polo we wish to finish our studies, create a family and be happy and help as much as we can for our family, but also for the world,” Martina said.
As for Mariona (21), she has played for Center Natacio Mataro since 2021 and made her international debut in 2025 after an illustrious junior career that earned a silver medal from the U20 World Aquatics Championships in Coimbra, Portugal in 2023.
With the national team, she won bronze at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore last year, silver at the World Aquatics World Cup Final in Sydney, Australia in July and backed that up with another silver medal at the World Aquatics 4x4 Championships in Dubrovnik, Croatia, last month.
Spain will see more of these champions for many years to come.