“I’m probably fortunate that my wife was an international syncro-swimmer, so she knows the sacrifices you have to make to reach anything close to an Olympic level, although she’s probably looking forward to when this finishes!”
Centre-forward Adam Scholefield, external has gone even deeper into the heartland of European water polo, furthering his education by moving to south-west Hungary to play for Pecs alongside team-mate Joe O’Regan.
The 26-year-old from Rotherham admits that arriving in the country which has won the last three Olympic gold medals was met with some raised eyebrows.
“At first I was seen as a British guy coming from a place with no real tradition in the sport, so it took me some time to earn some respect. Everyone wanted to test me out but after 18 months I think that’s changed,” Scholefield told BBC Sport.
“It’s great to be in a place where people know what water polo is to start with – it’s one of the main sports on TV every week and that sort of attention took some getting used to.
“Last season I was there on my own. There’s been no shortage of sacrifices in this squad but the Olympics are our dream, so we had to do it. I play the sport I love and get paid for it.”
Both Figes and Scholefield admit medals may be a distant prospect at London 2012 but for the players who have travelled across Europe to better themselves, earning respectability in a sport which has not even been on GB’s radar for over half a century might be regarded as an achievement in itself.
