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Road to Tokyo: with the returns of Varga and Zalanki, Marcz's Hungary is preparing for the Olympics
Pubblicato il 30 Nov 2120 12:09
His Hungary raised to the sky the only international trophy up for grabs last season, then stopped by the Coronavirus.
He did it at home, in Budapest, during the European water polo, beating Spain on penalties.
Historical courses and appeals; right in the Hungarian capital, back in 1926, the first European championship in history was held with the same exact outcome: Hungarian champions for the first time in history against Sweden.
The tricolor national team represents the most successful selection in the world in water polo: there are nine times in which Hungarian players have worn the Olympic laurel and climbed to the top step of the podium.
Among these is also him, the current coach of Hungary Tamas Marcz. In 2000 he took part in the memorable Australian ride of Hungary, kicking off the Olympic Grand Slam that led Denes Kemeny's team to triumph in the next two editions in Athens and Beijing.
An amazing team: Vari, Szecsi, Szekely, Marcz, Kasas, Molnar, Kosz, Varga, Steinmetz, Biros, Fodor, Kiss and the late Tibor Benedek, a friend of our waterpolo who misses more every day.
As an athlete Marcz divided himself between Hungary and Italy wearing the caps of Vasutas, Savona, Chiavari, Eger, Nervi, Pro Recco and Acquachiara. After bringing the Neapolitans to the first historic European qualification in 2013, he then decides to hang up the cap and embark on a career as a coach right where his sporting path began. At the helm of Vasutas he does very well; in 2014 he also became assistant coach of the Hungarian (female) national team and then was appointed head coach in 2017, wetting his debut with a silver at the World Cup in Budapest.
Hungary is the country where the clubs started athletic training very early to compete in the national cup as well as starting the new championship.
"We started the season with the Hungarian cup playing outdoors at the end of July - explained Marcz -. In August, then, we had to stop, due to Covid-19, for the final stages that we regularly concluded in the month of September. It was a good show: we played in outdoor pools in front of a few people we were able to host. In the league, however, we are managing to play regularly and before Christmas we should reach the fifteenth day. In my opinion there are too many clubs – 16 teams – and the level technical has lowered than in previous years having lost very good foreign players. on the other hand, this is good for young people who have the opportunity to show off and grow. But the most important thing is to complete it in the best possible way, given the health emergency situation that the whole world is experiencing ".
Everything in maximum security and respecting a very specific protocol, we imagine…
"Of course, we have a strong protocol. If there is a Coronavirus positive case occurs in a club, the athlete is isolated until he becomes negativized. Once a negative tampon is produced, however, it does not end there. It takes about four weeks for the situation to return to normal because the athlete is subjected to very strict sports visits and checks to avoid a new relapse. It often happens that for a long period the teams line up in the squad of youth athletes for which the outcome of each match it is always uncertain ".
How is the work of your national team progressing in view of the Japanese Games in July?
"From September to November we had organized mini-gathering which, however, were canceled to allow the conclusion of the cup and the start of the championship. We will certainly see each other in December before Christmas for five days as well as in January, at least for a week, before the commitment in the World League. We are also preparing a maxi gathering in February when the championship will stop for the Olympic qualification, having several Greek, Canadian or Montenegrin players who play in their national teams. On that occasion we would have a way to work more consistently having more time to be together. It is not up to me to understand how the Olympics will be organized. I can only say that I am confident and optimistic: my main goal is to ensure that the Hungarian selection take part in the Games in best possible state of physical form".
Speaking of form, how do you think the stop of about six months has affected the preparation of the athletes?
"Honestly I think not that much. I have had the opportunity to see many Champions League matches in Budapest and I was surprised to see how many teams have expressed a good game at a very high pace. I think that in the end all the national teams will reach Tokyo well prepared and I'm sure the Japanese Olympics will be one of the most interesting in recent years ".
He was talking about LEN Champions League. Ferencvaros will be the only Hungarian team involved in the maximum continental competition. Do you think he has a good chance of repeating the latest success?
"First of all, I am very happy that Budapest will return to host a new bubble for one of the two groups of the LEN Champions League in December. As for Ferencvaros, we know that repeating is never easy but the return of Denes Varga and Zalanki can help a lot. It will be an important factor. The team has changed very little this year compared to last season by including several young players who represent the club's future. It will certainly be tough also because the European opponents have strengthened but FTC has all the credentials, this year too, to get to the end".
Varga and Zalanki are two fundamental returns for your national team ...
"Of course. They returned to the water after two very serious injuries. I was able to hear them both and obviously they are happy to have resumed. They have already had the opportunity to play official matches but in consultation with the doctors who follow them it was decided not to do them. force too much, favoring a gradual recovery. Obviously they represent two fundamental pawns for our selection: with them we will be even more compact. I am sure that with the passage of time their physical shape will improve and I hope that they can return to express themselves at previous European championships in January or even better ".
The last line of our chat is about you and your teammates. Yes, because, if we really want to be honest, you have not completely stopped wearing the cap: continue to have fun with the formation of the Millennium Masters together with other champions ...
"I hope that, after the period of health emergency, we can organize a great promotional event with the former athletes. In other sports similar events have found great success also because the public remembers with pleasure their old champions. Every year it is always It is more complicated to organize an event with the Millennium Masters: think that we have also asked Italy to set up a formation made up of former glories but we have not yet managed to coordinate. Knowing our manager, I do not exclude that in the future we will not be able to attend events championships of high-level master athletes aimed, as always, at improving the popularity of water polo ".
He did it at home, in Budapest, during the European water polo, beating Spain on penalties.
Historical courses and appeals; right in the Hungarian capital, back in 1926, the first European championship in history was held with the same exact outcome: Hungarian champions for the first time in history against Sweden.
The tricolor national team represents the most successful selection in the world in water polo: there are nine times in which Hungarian players have worn the Olympic laurel and climbed to the top step of the podium.
Among these is also him, the current coach of Hungary Tamas Marcz. In 2000 he took part in the memorable Australian ride of Hungary, kicking off the Olympic Grand Slam that led Denes Kemeny's team to triumph in the next two editions in Athens and Beijing.
An amazing team: Vari, Szecsi, Szekely, Marcz, Kasas, Molnar, Kosz, Varga, Steinmetz, Biros, Fodor, Kiss and the late Tibor Benedek, a friend of our waterpolo who misses more every day.
As an athlete Marcz divided himself between Hungary and Italy wearing the caps of Vasutas, Savona, Chiavari, Eger, Nervi, Pro Recco and Acquachiara. After bringing the Neapolitans to the first historic European qualification in 2013, he then decides to hang up the cap and embark on a career as a coach right where his sporting path began. At the helm of Vasutas he does very well; in 2014 he also became assistant coach of the Hungarian (female) national team and then was appointed head coach in 2017, wetting his debut with a silver at the World Cup in Budapest.
Hungary is the country where the clubs started athletic training very early to compete in the national cup as well as starting the new championship.
"We started the season with the Hungarian cup playing outdoors at the end of July - explained Marcz -. In August, then, we had to stop, due to Covid-19, for the final stages that we regularly concluded in the month of September. It was a good show: we played in outdoor pools in front of a few people we were able to host. In the league, however, we are managing to play regularly and before Christmas we should reach the fifteenth day. In my opinion there are too many clubs – 16 teams – and the level technical has lowered than in previous years having lost very good foreign players. on the other hand, this is good for young people who have the opportunity to show off and grow. But the most important thing is to complete it in the best possible way, given the health emergency situation that the whole world is experiencing ".
Everything in maximum security and respecting a very specific protocol, we imagine…
"Of course, we have a strong protocol. If there is a Coronavirus positive case occurs in a club, the athlete is isolated until he becomes negativized. Once a negative tampon is produced, however, it does not end there. It takes about four weeks for the situation to return to normal because the athlete is subjected to very strict sports visits and checks to avoid a new relapse. It often happens that for a long period the teams line up in the squad of youth athletes for which the outcome of each match it is always uncertain ".
How is the work of your national team progressing in view of the Japanese Games in July?
"From September to November we had organized mini-gathering which, however, were canceled to allow the conclusion of the cup and the start of the championship. We will certainly see each other in December before Christmas for five days as well as in January, at least for a week, before the commitment in the World League. We are also preparing a maxi gathering in February when the championship will stop for the Olympic qualification, having several Greek, Canadian or Montenegrin players who play in their national teams. On that occasion we would have a way to work more consistently having more time to be together. It is not up to me to understand how the Olympics will be organized. I can only say that I am confident and optimistic: my main goal is to ensure that the Hungarian selection take part in the Games in best possible state of physical form".
Speaking of form, how do you think the stop of about six months has affected the preparation of the athletes?
"Honestly I think not that much. I have had the opportunity to see many Champions League matches in Budapest and I was surprised to see how many teams have expressed a good game at a very high pace. I think that in the end all the national teams will reach Tokyo well prepared and I'm sure the Japanese Olympics will be one of the most interesting in recent years ".
He was talking about LEN Champions League. Ferencvaros will be the only Hungarian team involved in the maximum continental competition. Do you think he has a good chance of repeating the latest success?
"First of all, I am very happy that Budapest will return to host a new bubble for one of the two groups of the LEN Champions League in December. As for Ferencvaros, we know that repeating is never easy but the return of Denes Varga and Zalanki can help a lot. It will be an important factor. The team has changed very little this year compared to last season by including several young players who represent the club's future. It will certainly be tough also because the European opponents have strengthened but FTC has all the credentials, this year too, to get to the end".
Varga and Zalanki are two fundamental returns for your national team ...
"Of course. They returned to the water after two very serious injuries. I was able to hear them both and obviously they are happy to have resumed. They have already had the opportunity to play official matches but in consultation with the doctors who follow them it was decided not to do them. force too much, favoring a gradual recovery. Obviously they represent two fundamental pawns for our selection: with them we will be even more compact. I am sure that with the passage of time their physical shape will improve and I hope that they can return to express themselves at previous European championships in January or even better ".
The last line of our chat is about you and your teammates. Yes, because, if we really want to be honest, you have not completely stopped wearing the cap: continue to have fun with the formation of the Millennium Masters together with other champions ...
"I hope that, after the period of health emergency, we can organize a great promotional event with the former athletes. In other sports similar events have found great success also because the public remembers with pleasure their old champions. Every year it is always It is more complicated to organize an event with the Millennium Masters: think that we have also asked Italy to set up a formation made up of former glories but we have not yet managed to coordinate. Knowing our manager, I do not exclude that in the future we will not be able to attend events championships of high-level master athletes aimed, as always, at improving the popularity of water polo ".
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