Poland’s men’s volleyball beat Slovenia on Monday morning, ending an unwanted run of six consecutive Olympic quarter final defeats.
The team, ranked No. 1 in the world, booked a semi-final spot with a comfortable victory over Slovenia, three sets to one.
The Poles started positively, securing the first set 25-20, but the Slovenians came back to take the second set, 26-24.
But Poland reasserted their dominance in the third (25-19) and were too strong for the Slovenians in the fourth, taking it 25-20.
Tennis superstar Iga Świątek was cheering for the Polish team and joined them in post-victory celebrations.
Victory over a team ranked No. 3 in the world should boost Polish confidence ahead of the semi-final, but Nikola Grbić, the team’s coach, remained stoic.
“It’s not over yet,” he told TVP Sport in a post-match interview, adding that he is proud to lead the team.
“Now we need to reset our minds and focus solely on the next game.”
The Poles started positively, securing the first set 25-20, but the Slovenians came back to take the second set, 26-24.
But Poland reasserted their dominance in the third (25-19) and were too strong for the Slovenians in the fourth, taking it 25-20.
Tennis superstar Iga Świątek was cheering for the Polish team and joined them in post-victory celebrations.
Victory over a team ranked No. 3 in the world should boost Polish confidence ahead of the semi-final, but Nikola Grbić, the team’s coach, remained stoic.
“It’s not over yet,” he told TVP Sport in a post-match interview, adding that he is proud to lead the team.
“Now we need to reset our minds and focus solely on the next game.”
The win ends a sorry run for Poland’s men volleyball team that saw them eliminated at the quarter-final stages in six consecutive Olympic Games.
Poland’s one and only volleyball gold was back at Montreal 1976.
The other quarter final matches will also take place on Monday, with all of the top-eight-ranked nations competing for a spot in the last four.
Italy faces Japan, France are up against Germany and it will be Brazil versus the U.S. in the last match of the day.
Polish athletes have earnt four medals (one silver and three bronze) so far at Paris 2024, putting them in a slightly underwhelming 48th position in the medal table.
That could change this week with Aleksandra Mirosław going for gold in the speed climbing. Aside from Mirosław, the men’s volleyball team is likely Poland’s best chance of gold.
Poland’s one and only volleyball gold was back at Montreal 1976.
The other quarter final matches will also take place on Monday, with all of the top-eight-ranked nations competing for a spot in the last four.
Italy faces Japan, France are up against Germany and it will be Brazil versus the U.S. in the last match of the day.
Polish athletes have earnt four medals (one silver and three bronze) so far at Paris 2024, putting them in a slightly underwhelming 48th position in the medal table.
That could change this week with Aleksandra Mirosław going for gold in the speed climbing. Aside from Mirosław, the men’s volleyball team is likely Poland’s best chance of gold.
Source: TVP World, Flashscore
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