The current war situation in Israel also affected Slovak basketball player Terézia Páleníková, who transferred to the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa before the season. She was also in the country at the time when the Hamas movement attacked her.
Until everything started on October 7, she was happy at the club. “After the season, the offer from Israel appealed to me the most, where I finally signed the contract. Everything was great until October 7. Everything was professional, the club was at a high level. However, you cannot influence some things and I was forced to leave.” she said in an interview for ŠPORT.sk.
How do you remember the beginning of the whole conflict? “In the morning we received a message about what was happening. All the time we received information from the club, the coach and the local players. It was clear from the beginning that it would not be just like that. They are relatively used to rocket attacks, but this was a more specific situation.
Orders were issued that we should stay safe at home and not go outside. It was not yet known in what extensive stage it is and can be. So me and the club were just waiting to see what would happen. Then we decided it would be best if I went home. But that was quite complicated. Many flights were being canceled and almost all were sold out.’
What was it like for her when you wake up in the morning and find out that a war has broken out in the country you are currently in? “Many people wrote to me and were afraid. I was also afraid, because I saw that the people around me were also afraid. It was clear to them from the beginning that this was not a more traditional missile attack, but something more serious.
Day by day I understood that it is a really difficult situation. I didn’t know what it was. I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never experienced it. When you explain it to someone who hasn’t experienced it, they might not even understand it. And because the family was afraid and nobody knew anything, I didn’t feel safe either. You could hear helicopters or planes all night, so you didn’t sleep much.”
Terézia Páleníková. Source: TP Archive
Pálenikova was in the city of Haifa, which is in the north of the country, where the attacks began a little later. “I was in a relatively safe city that was under the protection of the army. The attacks there started in the morning when I left. Fortunately, I avoided it,” said the 28-year-old representative.
She had a difficult task ahead of her, to get back to Slovakia. She first tried the government special. “I wanted to get on the first government special, but I didn’t get on board, which I was told earlier. Other groups and other people were prioritized, which I accept. There were women with children or people who were just there on a trip. They had to pay extra for accommodation and I still had it there. I understand why they decided that, but I wanted to go home. That’s how I started to figure out how to get to Slovakia.”
She didn’t want to wait for the next government special, so she started to figure out how she could get home.
“The embassy and the ambassadors did a great job, every day I received information on which flight and when I could get on, they gave me information on how to get to Slovakia on my own axis. They were really accommodating and easy to communicate with. Their work should definitely be highlighted. The Slovak Basketball Association also helped me a lot, and thanks to them I got home rather complicatedly, but quickly.”
Terézia Páleníková. Source: TP Archive
The whole conflict started early on Sunday morning, she was in Bratislava for lunch on Wednesday.
“I was originally supposed to go to Istanbul on Tuesday evening, but my flight was canceled and I was already at the airport at that time. From Tuesday to Wednesday at half past three in the morning, I then went to Cyprus, from there to Athens and from there to Vienna. It was long, but the main thing was that I got home.
So I left Haifa on Tuesday around lunch and arrived in Bratislava the next day for lunch. It was a long day, I didn’t sleep at night, I didn’t sleep well the night before, it was exhausting.’
Some of her teammates are now in the military. “I still follow the news and text my teammates to see if they are okay and how the situation is developing. It’s hard for everyone, everyone just wants peace. No one wants it to work that way. They’re really unhappy about it, they’re having a hard time.”
Overall, he has excellent experiences with people in Israel. She liked their mentality. “I felt really great there. Their mentality is completely different from Slovak. It is also possible that they are marked by such situations or that they must also have war training. They are much stronger in various things, they were really nice to me.”
Seasons are starting in Europe and Terézia Páleníkova is in her best basketball age. Understandably, he does not want to wait for the situation in Israel to be resolved and he can return.
“We are communicating with the club about whether we will cancel the contract or how it will be. The agent will try to find me a club, the season has started and I want to play. It is probably a matter of months before the situation there improves and there will be room for something like basketball. The most realistic thing is that I will find a new club.”
However, it will not be easy to find a new club. “Since the season has started and the players in my position are signed, I can wait until someone decides that they want to strengthen, there are exchanges or injuries, then I can sign in some team. I am currently training in Bratislava and preparing for the national team in November and waiting for an opportunity.”
The Slovak women’s basketball players will have their first qualification match for the 2025 European Championships on November 9, when they will challenge Turkey and three days later they will face Romania at home. In addition to them, they also have Iceland in the group.
How does he feel before the collision? “At the moment I feel really great, I’m not in match condition, but physically and mentally I feel good. I am looking forward to the national team, but we will see who will be in the team. I am ready to help in all possible ways.
Every victory is important and I will do my best for it, but it will depend a lot on which team they meet. Some girls have health problems or may not be able to participate.’
However, they have a clear goal. “Slovakia belongs to the European champions, the goal is to advance.” It will be challenging, but I think we are quite competitive and we can do it.”
Teréziá Páleniková is 28 years old and is thus in her prime for sports. What does she still want to achieve so that she can look back in ten years and be satisfied with it? “It’s enough for me to be satisfied even in five years or even if I wake up tomorrow. I would like to win a title or play in a European competition. But my goal is, what I think is important in everyone’s life overall, is that we enjoy what we do.
It’s a cliché, but I really enjoy basketball and maybe that’s why I’m good at it, because I enjoy it. With any team I go to play, my goal is to achieve the best possible club result and play in a European competition,” she added at the end of the interview.
2023-10-22 09:15:00
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