In the deep end of global water polo, where giants tread water with effortless power and precision, South Africa is still learning to swim with the tide. But thanks to Olympian Hanna Muller and the pioneering initiative, Elevate Water Polo, the current is beginning to shift.
Muller, who once dived into the sport as a high school student in East London and rose to represent South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is now steering a new generation of talent into international waters.
Her recent voyage to Spain with a handpicked group of under-16 players was a bold stroke toward long-term transformation.
The trip to Spain was fantastic for all these young players to experience. The opportunity to train with some amazing Spanish academy coaches and to represent the Elevate under-16 team in a highly competitive tournament was phenomenal.
Spain served as a proving ground, its pools teeming with technical mastery and tactical discipline. There, South Africa’s fledgling stars were not merely thrown into the deep end; they were shaped by currents far stronger than those they’ve known.
It is amazing how the players developed over such a short time.
But this wasn’t a one-off splash. The Spanish sojourn marked just one of three European expeditions planned by Elevate—each designed to expose South Africa’s rising stars to the jet streams of elite competition and coaching. The goal? To help them swim, not sink, when facing the sport’s global powerhouses.
Muller knows the water is rough. South African water polo is still amateur, its athletes treading water between full-time jobs and part-time training while nations like Spain and Hungary race ahead with the tailwinds of professionalism.
We need more players to be given this type of exposure for South Africa to catch up to the top countries of the world.
Now a qualified fitness trainer and head of water polo at Clarendon High School for Girls, Muller has anchored her career in nurturing young talent whilst bridging the gap between passion and performance. Her own journey from Stirling High School to an American college scholarship, and eventually the Olympic pool, is the stroke-by-stroke blueprint she’s passing on.
The right support is essential. We have good athletes, but we need an aligned plan that is well-communicated and one that we can all commit to. Then I think we could see results and improvement fairly quickly.
Elevate, with its strong tides of vision and action, is part of that blueprint. They offer opportunities previously unheard of - bringing structure to a sport that often floats rudderless.
That is where Elevate is doing great work in trying to prepare players and teams more extensively to perform in key events. We need more of that, and then, I am sure South Africa can do well as a water polo country.
Yet even as she throws the lifebuoy to the next wave of stars, Muller hasn’t hung up her cap. The lure of Los Angeles 2028 shimmers on the horizon like the reflection of a gold medal on still water.
I still have ambitions as a player and would definitely like to see if I could make the grade should the opportunity arise for Los Angeles 2028. I love the game and made the natural progression from player to coach a few years ago. I love sharing knowledge and seeing young girls start to progress and master the skills.
In a sport where success requires rhythm, resilience, and relentless effort, Hanna Muller isn’t just swimming with the tide but crafting new currents. With Elevate by her side and a generation of young swimmers drafting in her wake, South African water polo is no longer just treading water—it’s beginning to surge.
