Maddie Musselman was recognized as the top women's water polo player in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But, at one point, she was worried about the status of her national team spot.
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Musselman debuted with Team USA at the age of 15 in 2013, one year after the United States earned Olympic gold in water polo for the first time. It was around then that the Newport Beach, California, native would worry she'd lose her roster spot if she didn't stand out.
"I used to be 15 on this team and I showed up and had no idea what was going on," Musselman told NBC. "I used to leave practice and be like, 'I'm not gonna get invited back. I didn't make one goal today. I didn't block one ball.'"
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But those early struggles propelled Musselman to star status. She went on to make her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, scoring 12 goals as Team USA successfully defended its gold medal.
The UCLA product then tallied 18 goals at the 2020 Games, earning tournament MVP honors and her second gold medal in the process.
"You should want to be failing. That's only going to make you better because I failed all the time when I first joined," Musselman said.
Team USA will be chasing unprecedented history at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The United States can become the first water polo team — women's or men's — to win four consecutive Olympic golds.
As she sits on the brink of Olympic history, Musselman has certainly come a long way since her early days with the national team. And the two-time gold medalist is grateful for those past experiences that helped her grow into the player, teammate and leader she is today.
"I went from the young one who knew nothing and got to walk in the shadows and the footsteps of all these amazing athletes," Musselman said. "I learned how to be a good leader, how to communicate effectively, and become more experienced in the sport itself and more confident in who I am."
