Belief is a powerful tool. Without it, Adrian Weinberg knows he would not be starting at goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic men's water polo team.
Coming into NCAA powerhouse California to play for head coach Kirk Everist at 17 years old, Weinberg didn't believe he was ready to start as a freshman. At one point, he asked his coach to redshirt him. Everist resisted and instead imparted belief in the young talent.
It paid off. Weinberg went on to become one of the most decorated water polo players in program history, winning three NCAA titles and earning four All-America honors.
"That gave me a lot of confidence that I can do this," Weinberg said of his time at California.
He's experienced a similar transition to the U.S. men's national team, starting on the world stage for the first time before he was 21. In 2022, before his final season at California, he recorded 26 saves at the FINA World Championships and 40 more at the FINA World League Super Final.
"I'm young, for sure. I've got a lot of learn. I'm trying to learn everything, something every single day," Weinberg said. "Coach (Dejan Udovicic) knows I'm young, but he thinks I'm ready, and that gives me confidence."
Now, the 22-year-old starting goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic squad has helped lead the team within arm's reach of its first medal since 2008. Weinberg stuffed consecutive shots Wednesday in a 4-3 penalty shootout win (11-10) against Australia to advance the U.S. to the semifinals against Serbia on Friday.
"Nothing compares to that," Weinberg said. "That's the quarterfinal of the Olympics, the biggest game of my life."
Weinberg notched 11 saves against Australia, his fourth double-digit performance of the Olympics, including 14 against Romania and 13 against Montenegro. He finished pool play leading all goalkeepers with 52 saves. His 51% shot save percentage in pool play ranked No. 1 among all goalkeepers with at least 100 minutes in the pool.
"I think he just is really good at resetting and moving on to the next play," said Marko Vavic, a two-time Olympian who scored the game-winning penalty shot against Australia. "That's just how you have to be as goalie. You can't dwell on your mistakes."
Weinberg said one of the biggest lessons from his time at California was the value of staying present in the moment. Whether it's coming off a good or bad moment individually or as a team, the ability to remain focused on what's next has fueled his rapid ascent in international water polo.
"No matter what's going on, you just focus on yourself. Things can get out of control really quickly, like they did in the first quarter, and it's really easy to be like, 'We're done,'" he said, as the U.S. trailed Australia 3-1 after one quarter. "We didn't do that. We didn't fold. I'm really proud of the guys for staying composed, for sure."
Weinberg also kept his composure through all the ups and downs of the match. After the U.S. took the lead at 6-5 in the fourth period, Australia scored consecutive goals within a minute of each other to reclaim the advantage. When the U.S. tied it up with 32 seconds left in regulation, Weinberg helped send the game to a shootout with a steal at 20 seconds.
In the biggest water polo moment of his life, he stepped up again. After each team opened with a pair of successful shootout tries, Weinberg thwarted back-to-back shots, including blocking one with his head, to give the U.S. the edge it needed to move forward.
For Weinberg, the moment again came down to his belief and strong faith.
"I would say all my confidence, honestly, comes from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," he said.
A pep talk from the world's fastest man also helped.
"I talked to Noah Lyles at the opening ceremony, and I asked him, before big moments where there's a lot of nerves — obviously like the penalty shootout, late in the game, I'm getting nervous — in those moments, what are you thinking about?" Weinberg said. "He's like, 'Honestly, I just think about the fact that God made me for this moment.' So that's what I thought. He made me for this moment."
