Canadian women's water polo veteran Joelle Bekhazi announces retirement after 17 years
Pointe Claire, Que., native made 581 appearances in her time with national team
After nearly 20 years with the Canadian national water polo program, 581 appearances, seven world championships, two semi-retirements and one Olympic dream fulfilled, Joelle Bekhazi is hanging up her cap.
The 34-year-old native of Pointe Claire, Que., is retiring from the sport that took her from the community pools in the West Island of Montreal, around the world and finally to the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre in Tokyo, where, after 17 long years, she finally got to live out her Olympic moment.
Seeing the Olympic rings in the village for the first time was beautiful. Being alongside all the superstar, elite athletes was amazing, but standing on the pool deck hearing O Canada was unforgettable.
Canada went on to lose the opening match to the world champion bronze medallists 8-5.
"That first game was tough, I saw the jitters, we did not play like ourselves, it was really hard to see us play that way, but it was normal. We wouldn't have been human if that first game wasn't the way it was, in a way."
Enjoying the moment
Canada finished seventh in the tournament. Three hard-fought losses in the group phase set up a quarter-final matchup with the two-time defending — now three-time — Olympic champions, the United States. They lost 16-5 ending any hope of challenging for a medal. But instead of falling apart, the Canadians came together and played their hearts out in their remaining two games of the tournament.
"I'm really proud that we were able to show resilience. At the end, we really showed what we were all about and what we were working so hard for," Bekhazi said.
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They tied Australia in a rematch, only to lose in a penalty shootout 14-12, and soundly defeated China for seventh place 16-7. Knowing that the Americans steamrolled the competition en route to gold – including Spain in the final 14-5 – gave the Canadians peace that they are right up there with every other team in the world.
"We showed that we're going to keep fighting and go forward. I'm glad that we ended up increasing and raising our level of play and didn't just unravel. Because that was the easier route, to just unravel.
"I kept thinking we have eight quarters left to fight, we have four quarters left. In my mind, these are the last eight quarters of my career, these are the last four quarters of my career. And I'm going to leave this sport loving it as much as I did coming into it. I'm really emotional, but I'm really lucky in that way."
Precocious talent
The pre-teen was a precocious young swimmer when one day a local water polo team didn't have enough players and a coach picked her up and plunked her in the water. Bekhazi had no interest in touching the ball or mixing it up at first, but fell in love with the sport because it meant swimming alongside her friends. At age 13, she finally convinced her parents to let her play full-time. A year later, she was named top defensive player at a tournament after a successful turn at guarding longtime national teammate Krystina Alogbo, who retired prior to the Olympics.
Bekhazi put off retirement twice before — in 2012 and again in 2016. She kept going once she heard the news that women's water polo was increasing to 10 teams for Tokyo. Injuries have piled up through the years and she had a scare just six months out from the Summer Games when she partially dislocated her shoulder. She only started swimming a month before the Olympics.
There was no way she was missing this moment.
Saying goodbye to her water polo family hasn't been easy. The team, already like sisters, hit the road for three months to prepare for the Olympics. The "world tour" as they called it began in California, then to Italy, Greece, Hungary, Morioka and then Tokyo. They've been through the highs and lows and had fun along the way, including rescuing the stolen Canadian Olympic moose, nicknamed OCHA, which they valiantly carried back to its homestead in the village.
Eyes on the prize
Aside from challenging for a medal in Tokyo, the team's other goal was to increase the profile of water polo in Canada.
"For me, that really meant everything. I absolutely adore my sport. Honestly, I would continue if I really could, I would play another cycle," Bekhazi said, a world championship silver medallist in 2009.
"I think having water polo back on TV and the fact that people got to see how incredible our sport is – how difficult, how different and how it encompasses so many aspects – is going to help it to develop again. It will get people to start signing up, it's had a huge lull and I know a huge impact was because we hadn't qualified in the last three cycles."
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You might expect Bekhazi to take a break for a while after such a long career for her country, but there's no resting in retirement.
"I'm a planner. I'm a go-getter," she said.
Bekhazi runs a successful business as a representative for swimwear company Jolyn, operating a store and a website and she's finishing up the final two years of her osteopathy degree. She and husband Etienne Lalonde Turbide, a 2012 Olympian in fencing, hope to start a family in the near future.
One thing is for sure, she won't stray too far from water polo.
"I want to be there and help out in any way I can," she said. "I would probably love to coach because I definitely need to hop on my passion in one way or another."
Within 24 hours of arriving back in Montreal, Bekhazi was already back in the pool for a workout.
When reminded that the Paris 2024 Olympics are only three years away, she laughs.
Never say never.
"They know where to find me."
