Maple Ridge Secondary student Airi Cowie had some great performances as she competed with Team Canada at the 16U Water Polo World Championships in Manisa, Turkey.
The Canadian team played their final game on July 4 against Serbia. Canada won the game 12-11 in a very tense affair, to finish 11th in the tourney. Cowie was awarded Player of the Match after a four-goal performance.
The Canadian girls opened the tournament with a convincing 13-0 win over Zimbabwe, but next fell to Greece 22-3. In the classification matches, Canada earned an 8-6 win over South Africa, but lost two close games to Croatia 11-7, and Germany 7-5.
Cowie was also the top scorer against South Africa, with three goals. She was not part of the loss to the Greeks, as there was a rotation of players.
It was the first international competition for the 16-year-old, but not the last. She will return on Saturday, then head to California for a prestigious tournament, where she has been recruited to reinforce a Bay Area club.
Cowie was a competitor with the Haney Neptunes, and now coaches for the club.