"I Love the Pressure": South African World Champion Archer, 18, Earns National Water Polo Colours
- Danya Thompson, 18, represented South Africa in water polo at the inaugural World Aquatics Water Polo 4x4 Open Championships in Croatia
- The Reddam House Umhlanga Grade 12 student scored four of the team's 15 goals, including South Africa's first goal of the tournament
- Danya had already been crowned world champion in archery just months before earning her water polo colours
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Source: UGC
Danya Thompson had barely returned to school as a world champion archer before her next milestone arrived. The 18-year-old Grade 12 student from Reddam House Umhlanga has now earned national colours in a second sport entirely, representing South Africa in water polo on the international stage.
Thompson was selected for South Africa's women's team at the inaugural World Aquatics Water Polo 4x4 Open Championships, held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from 31 August to 6 September 2025. The tournament introduced a four-a-side format with a smaller playing area and a shorter shot clock than conventional water polo. Matches took place in Dubrovnik's historic Old Town harbour, lending the competition a setting unlike anything on the usual water polo circuit.
South Africa finished eighth overall. Thompson contributed four of the team's 15 goals, including the country's very first strike of the tournament.
A champion who embraces pressure
The Dubrovnik competition came just months after Thompson was crowned world champion in the Young Adult Female Freestyle Unlimited archery category in Argentina in November 2024. She says earning colours in a second sport carried enormous weight. She said:
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"It meant so much to me because all the long hours and dedication had paid off. I was so honoured to be selected to represent South Africa."
The new format demanded constant adaptation. Positions are far less defined than in traditional six-a-side water polo, and the entire field was learning as the tournament unfolded. Thompson welcomed the challenge.
"The game was developing as the tournament went on, and we were learning different ways of doing things. I genuinely think we surprised people. We kept fighting, learning and developing."
She also drew a direct line between her two sports. The mental discipline archery requires, the ability to clear her mind under pressure, has sharpened her in the pool. She explained:
"When you're on the shooting line, you have to block out distractions and focus on what is happening right there and then. That helps me in water polo too. I actually love the pressure. I feel ready for it."
Source: UGC
Balancing matric, training and travel
Managing Grade 12 alongside two high-performance sporting codes leaves little room for downtime. Thompson trains through Reddam House Umhlanga and with RAD Academy, coached by South African U18 boys' coach Rob Ambler, while keeping up her archery practice at Kings Park Archery Club. Any spare moment becomes study time.
"At school, on the way to training, on the way back or when I get home. Sometimes you feel like you're not going to manage everything, but you keep pushing."
Chad Moses, Executive Head of Reddam House Umhlanga, noted that Thompson recently received recognition for playing more than 200 games for the school's first water polo team.
Looking ahead, Thompson has her sights set on selection for South Africa's U20 women's team in the traditional format, continued international archery competition, and simply seeing how far dedication in both sports can take her.
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Source: Briefly News
