Forget the 1912 wrestling bout that took so long - 11 hours and 40 minutes - to decide that refreshments had to be served every half an hour. The title of longest-fought tussle towards an Olympic title passed to the Australian women’s water polo team tonight with their 4-3 victory over the United States in front of a riotous record-breaking crowd of 17,500.

The match took less than an hour, was decided in just over a second, but was 20 years in the making, and Australians led the charge from the moment they launched the campaign to have women’s water polo included in the Games after watching a men-only tournament for 100 years. The dry fight was every bit as bruising as the wet one at the weekend.

Wearing green and gold wigs and swim suits and brandishing balls aloft their heads, the bouncing Matildas had stormed an IOC meeting to grab the headlines four years ago. A year later they were at it again, waving banners at Sydney airport in the face of a frowning Mustapha Larfaoui, the Algerian who is a member of the IOC and heads Fina, swimming’s global authority. They even threatened to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

The IOC succumbed in 1998. Tonight, while the lean and lithe of the swimming world celebrated the end of their Games, the latest belles of the baths turned the waters of the Ryde Aquatic Centre into the world’s biggest washing machine, so frantic was the froth generated by 22 bodies bashing about.

The path to the final had not been pretty. Togs were torn, Speedos shredded and rivals were disrobed faster than Gypsy Rose Lee as the women made sure their tournament was a ripping affair. After the Russians had defeated the Dutch 4-3 for the bronze medal, the Australians and Americans paraded out on to the pool, and the crowd went wild.

The introduction of the women's competition ended as it had begun - in protest. With a few seconds left to full-time and the score locked 3-3 after an even-sided match that did justice to the struggle to get the game into the Games, hearts stopped as Yvette Higgins's lunge at the goal was blocked by Bernice Orwig. But then, with 1.3sec to go, the ball was in the back of the net. The goal judge and time stood still. It was the calm before the storm. The judge raised his flag. The goal was good.

A roar fit for Bedlam ripped from the green and gold beast that passed for a crowd as Guy Baker, the US coach, gunned down the pool as if Ma were his mum. His argument came to naught and the score stood at 4-3. Australia had been rewarded for an Olympian struggle lasting 20 years.