The way wherein the gold medal was misplaced in Tokyo should still hang-out Theodoris Vlachos and his crew, however with the principle physique intact they promise to attempt to do their greatest in Paris.
When the blue and white curtain of the Tokyo Olympics closed, her garland was silver in coloration. The nationwide males’s water polo crew not too long ago fell into the deep water of medals and emerged with a silver medal on its chest, exorcising the ghosts of a number of failures, awarded with the dear metallic it had dreamed of for many years. He returned to Japan two years later to play in one other world closing and lose that one too, on penalties, towards Hungary.
Second on the Tokyo Olympics, second on the Fukuoka World Championships. The… different “official darling”, the one who has by no means been absent from us, traveled to Paris to decorate the flag in gold.
The misplaced alternative
The final time the lads’s nationwide polo crew was absent from an Olympic appointment (Montreal 1976), coach Thodoris Vlahos was solely 7 years outdated and his present gamers have been unborn. That pointless time-out, 37 seconds earlier than the ultimate of the world championship when the Greek crew was pouring out like a speedboat within the counter-attack with one participant extra, haunts the sleep of the federal coach to today. The prospect was missed and the Hungarians received the ultimate on penalties.
The Greek “setebelo”, which for the wants of the French-speaking Olympiad was renamed “belle équipe” (the good crew), completed sixth in 2016 in Rio, ninth in 2012 in London, seventh in 2008 in Beijing. At our personal Video games, in 2004, she performed for the bronze medal however misplaced it to the Russians below the starry skies of OAKA, whereas our ladies celebrated on the second step of the rostrum. Tenth in Barcelona and Sydney, sixth in 1996 in Atlanta, the Greek males’s crew has solely reached the highest 4 twice.
In Tokyo, nevertheless, the ultimate stretch of the Olympic match, after nice victories over the Individuals, Hungarians and Italians, discovered our internationals in a semi-wild state: 10-4 the unlucky Montenegrins within the quarter-final, 9-6 the decapitated Hungary within the semi-final. The Serbians proved to be an insurmountable impediment within the title battle (10-13). Our polistas marched to the closing ceremony decked out in medals and with the chloride water nonetheless dripping from their our bodies.
“The dream of my life is mirrored on this small silver disc” mentioned chief Yiannis Fountoulis with the Greek flag in his fingers on the time in Documento. “We’re good at managing feelings. In a match the place each two days you play a derby it’s important to do away with pleasure and disappointment instantly. Neither laxity nor frustration is allowed. We moved ahead step-by-step and with out emotion.”
“Entire and Wholesome”
The Tokyo crew was nearly the identical as this 12 months’s, its arduous core at the least: Zerdevas, Argyropoulos, Vlachopoulos, Gennidounias, Papanastasiou, Skoubakis, Foundoulis. Kakaris, Kalogeropoulos, Papanikolaou, Nikolaidis, Gilas, Tjortzatos can even fall into the water of the Aquatics Heart of Paris and La Défense (the place the finals shall be held).
Vlachos emphasizes that the crew is full, optimistic “and, lastly, wholesome”. The nationwide crew’s performances on the World Championships in Doha (fifth) and the European Championships in Zagreb (once more fifth) bordered on disappointing, however the federal coach handled the 2 occasions as preparation tournaments forward of the Paris Video games. “We’re not hiding, our targets are excessive” he emphasizes. “I want we may additionally shut this Olympiad by counting the steps of the rostrum, however for now we’re solely wanting on the opening match and the primary part. In a bunch of 5 video games in a row, something can occur.”
Tonight’s match with Romania will unexpectedly develop right into a warm-up, however within the subsequent two days, Montenegro, the USA, Croatia, Italy are hiding within the corners. The 4 out of the six groups will advance to the “crossover” quarter-finals the place it will likely be a firefight. As for the ladies who began their very own effort yesterday.
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