Stars of the pool

Ahead of the start of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Business News photographer Attila Csaszar spent some time with the three Western Australian athletes who will represent the nation as part of the Aussie Stingers women’s water polo team.

Even in Europe, where water polo is a more popular sport than in Australia, there are no full-time professional female players, so Zoe Arancini, Glencora McGhie, and Gemma Beadsworth certainly aren’t in for the money.

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All three won a scholarship from Western Australian Institute of Sport, which provides opportunities for talented WA sportspeople to achieve excellence in high-performance sport.

Now, they are part of a hard-working Stingers team that spends countless early mornings and late nights training in the pool and in the gym to make sure they’re at their peak for Rio.

Zoe Arancini (25) is studying laboratory medicine at Curtin University, but has deferred her studies to prepare for Rio.

Glencora McGhie (27) works full time at Marmion Primary School Dental Clinic as a dental therapist. She was a member of the bronze medal winning water polo team at the 2012 London Olympics.

Gemma Beadsworth (28) is an assistant development manager at a land development company Peet. She has been supported by Peet at all stages of her sports career, and is currently on sabbatical.

Rio is her third Olympic Games.