Spanish water polo star Beatriz Ortiz has been crowned Europe’s Best Female Water Polo Player of 2024, capping a phenomenal year that saw her claim Olympic gold with Spain and the Champions League title with Astralpool CN Sabadell.
Ortiz, 29, won the prestigious award with an overwhelming 45.9% of the votes, ahead of Hungary’s Rita Keszthelyi, Greece’s Nikoleta Eleftheriadou, and Dutch stars Sabrina Van der Sloot and Simone Van de Kraats. This marks the second time Ortiz has received this accolade, having previously won in 2021, making her only the third female player in history to secure the award multiple times.
Ortiz played a pivotal role in Spain’s historic victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the team clinched their first-ever women’s water polo gold. Her five-goal performance against defending champions USA during the group stage was instrumental in ending their bid for a fourth consecutive Olympic title.
In the final, held before a packed crowd of 17,000 at La Défense Arena, Ortiz delivered another dazzling display, scoring four times to lead Spain to an 11-9 win over Australia.
Beyond the Olympics, Ortiz enjoyed a decorated 2024 campaign. She claimed silver at the European Championships, earning the tournament MVP award, and bronze at the World Championships. She was also named World Aquatics’ Female Player of the Year.
At the club level, Ortiz lifted the Champions League trophy for the third time in her career with Astralpool CN Sabadell after a commanding 16-10 victory over Olympiacos in the final.
Hungarian captain Rita Keszthelyi, who earned 18.2% of the votes, finished second. Keszthelyi, the Champions League’s top scorer last season with CN Mataro, was a standout performer in 2024, securing silver at the World Championships and sharing the top scorer title at the European Championships.
Dutch forward Sabrina Van der Sloot claimed third place with 15.3% of the votes after a stellar year that included European gold in Eindhoven and Olympic bronze in Paris. Greece’s Nikoleta Eleftheriadou and Simone Van de Kraats of the Netherlands finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Ortiz’s extraordinary achievements in 2024 have solidified her status as one of the sport’s greats, with her skill, leadership, and consistency shining brightly on both the domestic and international stage.
