Bay Area water polo legend Maggie Steffens seeks fourth gold at Paris Olympics

Ask her if she’s the greatest of all time, and Maggie Steffens’ head just about explodes.

“I can’t,” she said. “I’m still playing. If I really believed that statement, I’d be done.”

Since joining the United States women’s water polo team at 15, the Danville native has collected a list of accolades that includes three Olympic gold medals, three NCAA championships while at Stanford and the world record for most goals in a single Olympics (21) and all-time at the Olympics (56).

At 31, she understands the 2024 Paris Olympics next month could be her last.

“Whether it is or it isn’t, I’m trying to have the perspective of, ‘What if it is?’ ” she said.

So there she is, living in Long Beach, waking up at 5 a.m. and hitting the pool for seven-hour days of training, still fine-tuning her shooting mechanics, still reaching for personal records in the weight room and still searching for new ways to get better, all while warding off anybody who tells her she’s already the best there ever was.

“If I really believed that and I really felt that, why would I keep playing?” she said. “Why would I be pushing myself past the limits, putting my body in pain physically, mentally, the stress, the pressure, anxiety, all the things that come with it, if I really believed that and accepted that? I wouldn’t still be here.”

The humility, her dad said, was built at home, where she hated to lose to her three older siblings but had to get used to it. He had a saying for her: “See the entire pizza.”

Life was more than one play or one moment. He always wanted her to see the big picture.

“Maggie’s style of play, there are only very few that understand the game who can understand how important she is and what she brings to the team,” said her dad, Carlos Steffens, a former member of the Puerto Rican national team and a national champion and three-time All-American while at Cal. “Her assists, her leadership, her steals, her positioning, her intimidation. And because she draws players, her passing is quite good.

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