Dual Olympians Nicola and Johnno Cotterill welcome first child

The water polo family just got one bigger, with Dual Olympians Nicola and Johnno Cotterill welcoming their first child on Sunday 9 August, Philipa Joan Cotterill.

They were the sweethearts of the Australian water polo scene, the two meeting through water polo and their romance starting just before they were selected for their Olympic debuts in London.

As elite players they juggled gruelling training sessions, tough international tests, long haul flights as well as studies and work… but were lucky to share in that experience together.

The duo admitted that all the early mornings, and sleep deprivation, as part of their London and Rio Olympic campaigns, have put them in good sted for the next chapter of their lives - parenthood.

“The first few weeks of parenthood have been great. Yes, we’re sleepy and smell gross but we’re actually loving it,” Nicola said.

“Pip is awesome, it’s lucky she’s so cute because it makes the feeds every two hours throughout the night bearable,” she said.

Johnno added that he thought, in fact, it was his water polo career that has prepared him well for being a dad.

“I honestly think that the 5am starts and sessions under fatigue, or training when we were jetlagged, have trained us well for parenthood,” Johnno said.

“Except the difference is that we’re not wrestling someone in the water, we’re snuggling with our cute little girl,” he said.

While Nicola hasn’t played a game since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Johnno is still involved in Sydney Uni Lions Men’s Australian Water Polo League team, and rejoined his old KAP7 Aussie Sharks teammates to play in the Croatian test series last December.

“I still enjoy playing water polo when it’s on, but with Pip here now I think that might change,” Johnno said.

“Coming back to play with the Sharks (against Croatia) was a little bit random, and happened pretty quickly.”

“But that was good fun, and good to be back playing with people like Joel (Dennerley), Richie (Campbell) and Rhys (Howden), who I lived with down in Canberra. So that was nice, it went really well and I thought that was a bit of fun,” Johnno said.

“I really respect anyone who has worked full time, trained full time and had a kid,” he said.

Becoming first time parents isn’t the only challenge that the Cotterill’s have faced since retiring from international water polo, with Nicola part of the 2017 series of Australian Survivor.

“Survivor was just another crazy experience in my life - we still have a big WhatsApp group where our season stay in touch,” Nicola said.

It was however, the skills that Nicola learnt from water polo that she attributes her resilience.

“Playing sport at a high level, and dedicating yourself to do whatever it takes, translates into all aspects of life,” Nicola said,

“Even at work, if you’ve got a deadline, you’ve got to meet it, you’ve just got to get it done,” she said.

There’s a saying that the busiest people are the most productive and I think that’s true, because when you’re playing and studying you learn to be productive and not waste time.”

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