Polish volleyball players won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Unfortunately, the gold medal was not won, but Polish fans still have great reason to be happy, as the Polish national team had been waiting for the Olympic medal for 48 years. When our representatives received their medals, chants echoed from the stands: “Poland, Poland!”
Polish volleyball players lost the final of the Paris Olympic Games to the French 0:3. After receiving the silver medals, the Polish national team enjoyed the success, but it was difficult to talk about satisfaction. “There is a slight feeling of disgust and a feeling that we could have done a little more,” admitted Tomasz Fornal.
Coach Nikola Grbic’s players failed to threaten the French in any of the sets. In the second and third games they had a few points advantage, but the final belonged to Tricolor.
The Polish team was clearly disappointed after the final game, although they unanimously stressed that after some time they would appreciate the silver more.
It’s hard to say whether a stone has been lifted from my heart. There is definitely a slight feeling of repulsion and a feeling that we could have done a little more, but within two or three hours we will realize that we actually did a lot for Polish volleyball, for the fans, for our families and for ourselves, that we achieved what we achieved, namely the silver medal.
– Fornal pointed.
“The French played phenomenally and deservedly won.”
The French have performed excellently since the start of the tournament in their home country, although they have had worse moments, such as the 2-3 defeat to Slovenia in the group stage, or the quarter-final reversal against Germany from 0-2 to 3. -2. However, they played perfectly in the semi-final and the final.
If anyone in the top four doesn’t lose a set, they definitely deserve the gold medal. We tried to do something, change something, play aggressively, but nothing worked. The French played phenomenally and deservedly won.
– said the Polish host.
The most emotional moment for everyone was the dramatic semi-final between the Red and Whites and the Americans, which the former won 3-2 despite numerous health problems during the match. However, Jastrzębski player Węgiel admitted that the final gave them even more emotions.
You don’t play in the Olympic finals every day. The emotions were definitely a little bit higher than they have been before any of the other fights. They were there, but they were over.
– said Fornal.
The French were crowned Olympic champions for the second time in a row and, three years ago, they also won gold in Tokyo.
Kurek: After some time it will reach us, we will understand what we did.
Bartosz Kurek, the captain and longtime leader of the Polish national volleyball team, declined to discuss the end of his career after winning a long-awaited Olympic medal. “We will see what the future brings,” he said shortly after losing the Paris Olympics final to France.
The Polish national team waited 48 years for an Olympic medal. Kurek himself waited 12 of them, making his debut at the 2012 Olympics in London. The Polish volleyball players were then eliminated in the quarterfinals, as they were in the three subsequent editions. Only in Paris did they manage to break the “quarterfinal curse” and advance to the top four of the tournament. After the dramatic semifinal, which they beat the USA 3-2, they were euphoric and stressed that they still had one last step left: victory in the final.
On Saturday, however, it didn’t work out, the Poles were clearly worse than the French, to whom they lost 0:3.
Too much has happened for me to approach this match analytically. It was about playing in the final, but also about winning it. We didn’t make it, but I’m glad that’s how we’re built, that at this moment we’re not super satisfied with what we achieved. However, I know that in time we’ll realize that we’ll understand what we did, and my younger teammates who are aiming for Los Angeles will use this silverware as additional motivation.
– emphasized Kurek.
I don’t want to be ungrateful because I know how many of my teammates would kill for any Olympic medal. Obviously, it’s hard for me to get into a state of euphoria right now.
– he added.
Many players and experts stated before the final that this was perhaps the most important match in the career of Polish volleyball players. The striker himself did not approach it this way.
Maybe a match like this carries an additional burden, but I didn’t think about the previous or future years, about anything else, I tried not to get away from volleyball. It wasn’t enough today.
– he admitted.
Shortly before the final, former representative and captain Michał Kubiak revealed in an interview with Eurosport that Saturday’s game will be Kurek’s last in the national team. The interested party did not want to comment.
We will see what the future brings
– he stated briefly.
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READ ALSO: Unfortunately, there is no such thing as complete happiness! Polish volleyball players lost to the French 3-0 in the Olympic finals. However, the red-and-black team won the silver medal
