Welcome home, Fischer sisters

The Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro came to an end Sunday with a festive closing ceremony, and sisters Makenzie and Aria Fischer of Laguna Beach returned home Tuesday to a group of well-wishers at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.

The pair, two of the youngest players on the U.S. women’s water polo team — at ages 19 and 17, respectively — and playing in their first Olympic Games, helped lead Team USA to a gold medal. The team won all six of their games in Rio and dominated the competition.

Team USA capped the tournament by defeating Italy, 12-5, in the gold medal game Friday. In outscoring opponents, 73-32 en route to the title, the U.S. became the first women’s water polo team to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

The Fischer sisters stayed through the closing ceremony Sunday.

“It was the perfect ending to our time in Rio,” Makenzie Fischer said. “To be a part of the Olympic Games was an incredible experience. To be around great athletes from different cultures and corners of the world was so cool, and to compete at the highest level was amazing.”