Alex Obert knows better than most how much one decision can change the course of life.
His journey to becoming a three-time Olympian, a husband, father and corporate finance manager began with a pivotal decision: walking on to the Pacific water polo team. This leap of faith changed the trajectory of his life, leading him to meet his wife, Michele (Relton) Obert, and igniting a career that has taken him to the heights of international competition.
"Going to (Pacific) was obviously an inflection point in my life — going there, becoming the water polo player I am and meeting her," he said, pausing. "Everything happened just because of that one tiny little decision when you're 18 years old."
Obert is certainly the outlier on the U.S. Olympic team as the only player not to play college water polo at UCLA, Stanford, Southern California or California. Before stepping onto the Pacific campus, Obert wasn't on the radar of junior national teams or major college programs. Understandably, playing in the Olympics was not on his radar.
"College really gave me the opportunity," Obert said. "It allowed me to grow and shine as a person and helped me become the player that I became."
At Pacific, Obert helped his team reach the NCAA championship game in 2013 and was named a first-team All-American in 2015. His impressive performances caught the attention of the national team coaches, giving him a shot at an international career.
Before his water polo career took off, however, something more substantial happened. Obert met his wife-to-be, who was on a full-ride scholarship at Pacific for the women's water polo team and competed for years on the Canadian national team.
"She was definitely the better player back when we first met," Obert said with a laugh. "She kind of helped me eat because I was running out of money. She's been with me since day one. She's my biggest supporter and obviously makes a ton of sacrifices for me."
After the Tokyo Olympics, Obert planned to retire. He started a full-time role as a senior account manager at Experian in 2022. Later that year, Obert's daughter, McKenna, was born. Life seemed settled. Then one Olympic teammate called him. Then another. Dejan Udovicic, the U.S. men's senior national team head coach, even reached out.
That's all it took. Well, and getting his wife on board.
"I think she probably was expecting it more than me. I came to her and said, 'Hey, can I do this one last time? And she said, 'I knew this day was coming,'" said Obert, whose wife is pregnant with their second child. "She supported me every single day, helping me out the entire time. Obviously, it has been really tough on her, but it's a whole family sacrifice to be able to do something like this."
Obert plays defense in a match against Italy at the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images)
In his first Olympics as a father, Obert said it feels much different than the other two. It's not that there's less pressure. He just manages it with a different perspective.
"Becoming a father, everything's just put in perspective a little bit more. These games are life and death because I'll never get this opportunity again in my life, but I know I'm going to go home to my daughter, and she's going to love me no matter what, whether we finish in 10th or we finish first, it will be the exact same. So I just think it puts everything into perspective and allows me to play with a little freedom."
Obert can also play with relief knowing what lies on the other side of these Games, which he said will be his last. He said Experian has also been very accommodating to his return to the national team and the traveling it required.
"When I brought this dream back to them, I wasn't really sure if they were going to say yes, but they immediately said yes and didn't even really ask that many questions," he said. "They have supported me all the way through it, so I'm very lucky that I have a career to go right back to immediately."
Obert hopes to return to office and dad life with a medal, but regardless of how these Olympics end, he knows he'll be grateful. The sport in so many ways is his life. It was the first major domino to fall toward a life he never imagined.
"I'm super thankful," he said. "I'm playing this last Olympics with some gratitude toward the sport and just happy to be here representing the U.S. one last time."
