Bowen, U.S. earn bronze in Paris

By Ramon Scott
Updated: August 11, 2024

Santana alum Alex Bowen celebrates winning the bronze medal in Paris.

2024 EAST COUNTY ALUMNI

2024 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

PARIS – By any measure, Alex Bowen has been one of the most successful athletes the East County has ever produced.

The Santana High grad was a four-time Grossmont League water polo player of the year and the 2010 San Diego CIF Player of the Year, finishing his career with a reported 547 goals, unofficially the most-ever scored by a section player.

Bowen played collegiately at Stanford University, where he was named a first-team All-American four times.

Bowen’s aquatic success has taken him to tournaments and leagues around the world, including his third Olympic Games this summer, where he and his teammates earned a bronze medal by defeating perennial world water polo power Hungary, 11-8, in a shootout to win third place at the Games.

Alex Bowen in Paris before the Olympic tournament.

Bowen scored on his shootout attempt, as the Americans were the stronger team in the sudden-victory phase.

Earlier at the Olympic tournament, Bowen, 30, had a hat trick in the fourth quarter to help the USA to a 14-8 win over Romania, as the Americans moved to 1-1 in pool play. Bowen scored twice in the opener vs. Italy, a 12-8 loss. His three goals on Tuesday came in just 12 minutes of total pool time in the game.

Bowen had two goals in a 13-11 loss against Greece that dropped the U.S. men to 1-2 in group play.

While the U.S. National Water Polo team has medaled in the previous century at the games, Bowen and his teammates have only achieved a sixth and 10th place finish in his two previous trips to the Olympics.

Bowen has to feel comfortable competing this time around here in Paris, as he currently competes professional in water polo for Noisy-le-Sec in France.

The Americans are considered an longshot now for medal contention at the games, behind favored teams Hungary, Spain, Croatia and Greece.