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Caterina Banchelli, one of the top water polo goalkeepers in the world, has made the surprising decision to retire at the age of 23. Banchelli’s list of achievements includes being named the Best Goalkeeper at the U18 World Championships in Belgrade (2018) and Novi Sad (2017), earning a bronze medal at the World Championships in Fukuoka (2023) and the European Championships in Split (2022), a silver medal with the U18 team at the World Championships in Belgrade (2018), and two bronzes with the U19 team in Funchal (2019) and Auckland (2017).
After defending the goal for Italy's national team, Rari Nantes Florentia for twelve years, and SIS Roma last season, the homegrown star and accomplished goalkeeper, known for her ability to score goals, has decided to hang up her cap and leave water polo behind.
Her announcement, a shock to the water polo world, comes at the dawn of the new season. The decision is driven by personal reasons, specifically Banchelli’s desire to focus on her studies and career outside of the pool. After concluding her Olympic journey in Paris 2024, she has taken this opportunity to close her career on a high note and shift her focus to the future.
"I am extremely grateful to my family, my coaches, including Elena Gigli and the Rari Nantes Florentia club, for believing in me from the very beginning, particularly Aleksandra Cotti, Lucia Giannetti, Allegra Lapi, Andrea Nesti, and President Andrea Pieri. My first club coach, Maurizio Ceccarelli, helped spark my passion for this sport, along with Andrea Sellaroli and Marco Capanna. I would also like to thank the Italian Swimming Federation, all the coaches, and my teammates, both at the club and national level, for sharing these thirteen wonderful years of my career with me, shaping me into who I am today."
Banchelli emphasized that this decision had been on her mind before the Olympics, but she chose to wait to announce it in order to fully enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience in Paris. She expressed no regrets about her career, stating her hopes of achieving the same level of success professionally that she reached in sports.
"Besides the incredible Olympic adventure, I will always carry with me the memory of the U18 World Championships in Belgrade in 2018, where we lost the final against Spain, but I was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament. And then there’s the bronze medal from Auckland in 2017 and Funchal in 2019. To this day, one of my proudest moments is the bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, when the Setterosa beat Australia 16-14 in a tough yet amazing match. But above all, I will never forget the thrilling 8-7 victory in the quarterfinals over Olympic champions, the United States."
Caterina Banchelli leaves behind an inspiring legacy, and her impact on Italian water polo will surely be remembered for years to come.
