Newport Beach’s Kaleigh Gilchrist announces water polo retirement

Kaleigh Gilchrist walked onto the Newport Harbor High pool deck for the first time at age 8, ready to dive into the sport of water polo.

Twenty-four years later, she said goodbye Thursday, announcing her retirement from the United States women’s senior national team.

The numbers eight and 24 are meaningful to Gilchrist. She was a big fan of the late Kobe Bryant, who wore those jerseys for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Next weekend, she’s getting married — on Aug. 24 (8/24).

“The truth is, part of me wants to keep playing,” Gilchrist said in a post on Instagram. “I love the grind, I love the challenge, I love competing and most of all I love the connections. I truly believe at the ripe age of 32 I can still improve and get better. However, I also know the excellence this sport demands and the standard that is needed to keep up with this talented group of women.

“Kobe said it best — ‘My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”

Gilchrist ends her water polo career as a three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist. This summer, the Olympic women’s water polo team finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, losing to Australia 14-13 in a shootout in the semifinals and to the Netherlands, 11-10, in the bronze medal match.

Gilchrist was the oldest player on this year’s United States roster and spent more than a decade on the squad since her first international tournament in December 2013.

Kaleigh Gilchrist dishes the ball to a teammate during an exhibition match against Australia on April 9.

(James Carbone)

“Kaleigh’s water polo I.Q. and game sense is second to none,” United States women’s water polo coach Adam Krikorian said in a statement. “Seemingly always knowing where the ball needed to be, there were few that could match her vision in the pool. Combining that with a perfect mix of competitive spirit and light-heartedness, she has had a powerful impact on every athlete and staff member associated with our program throughout her 11-year career with the national team.”

Gilchrist, also an accomplished surfer, graduated from Newport Harbor in 2010 and went on to USC. She scored 142 goals in her four-year college career that included two second-team All-American and one third-team All-American nod.

In addition to her two Olympic gold medals, she won CIF and NCAA championships, four World Championship titles, three World Cup crowns and three Pan American Games as well.

During her time on Team USA, she was seriously injured when a balcony collapsed at a nightclub in Gwangju, South Korea in 2019. Gilchrist had to undergo surgery, and more injuries and surgeries followed, but she persevered.

“I’ve personally learned to never doubt what she is capable of,” Krikorian added. “She has defied the odds in so many ways. Her journey over the last five years in particular has been an awe-inspiring display of perseverance, discipline and determination.”

On Thursday, Gilchrist said goodbye on her own terms. She thanked many in her statement, including friends, family, coaches, fellow competitors and the sport of water polo itself.

“Thank you, water polo, for 24 incredible years,” she said. “Years spent with some of the greatest humans I have the privilege of knowing, traveling the world to places I never imagined, a night in South Korea that taught me the true importance of life, great mentors who believed in me, pushing my limits beyond what I thought was possible and giving me some of my fondest memories. Thank you will never be enough to this sport, and to those I’ve shared it with, it was one hell of a ride.”