SAN JOSE, Calif. - For San José State University, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be recorded with a number of "firsts" for the university.
Wrapping up the 32nd Olympiad and the second hosted by Tokyo, Japan, a Spartan women's water polo alumna will head home as a medal winner for the first time.
Spain's Clara Espar Llaquet, a starter in six of the team's seven matches, is a silver medal winner as her country produced its best women's water polo finish in an Olympics winning six consecutive matches before losing to the United States, 14-5, in the gold medal match. The U.S. team won an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal in women's water polo with seven of its 13 players Espar Llaquet faced while wearing the Spartan cap. All 13 Team USA players played against the Spartans during their college careers.
Espar Llaquet was a two-time second-team All-America and two-time All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) player for San Jose State in 2014 and 2015. She led the MPSF, the top collegiate women's water polo conference nationally, in scoring as a freshman with 96 goals en route to second-team all-conference recognition. Espar Llaquet, the only Spartan to score at least 90 goals in multiple seasons, scored 94 goals as a sophomore, was the conference scoring leader, and received first-team honors.
She returned home after the 2015 spring semester and became the first Spartan women's water polo player in an Olympic Games, representing Spain in 2016.
Espar Llaquet is the second Tokyo Olympics medal winner from San Jose State. Emma Entzminger, an infielder for the Canadian women's softball team, is a bronze medalist and the first Spartan to earn an Olympic medal in the sport.
The two medals won is the first time since 1988, two San Jose State athletes were on an Olympic Games victory stand. In the Seoul Olympics, judo players Kevin Asano was a silver medalist and Mike Swain, a bronze medal winner.
Other San Jose State "firsts" and notables from the Tokyo Olympics:
- Robyn Stevens became the first San Jose State athlete to compete in women's track and field since 1932 and the first Spartan in the unique track event of race walking as the lone U.S. representative in the women's 20-kilometer walk. The 2003 San Jose State cross country team member finished 33rd in a field of 58 competitors.
- Entzminger was one of three Spartans participating in an Olympics for the first time. Michelle Cox was an outfielder for Australia and Suzy Brookshire Gonzales was a member of the Mexico team in the six-team tournament.
- The five Spartan women in one Olympics are the most for San Jose State. The previous high was three in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Sandy Bacher and Liliko Ogasawara represented the U.S. in judo and American Jill Sudduth won a gold medal in synchronized swimming.
- In his second Olympics, judo player Colton Brown extended San Jose State's representation in the sport to 10 consecutive Olympic Games since 1976.