“It was a big final for us. We wanted to end the EP with a win for the first time. At times we were nervous, but with the desire to win and the courage we have in our blood, we won the bronze medal,” he was elated after the victory over France Klemen Čebulj.
For the first time, the Slovenian volleyball players ended the European Championship with a victory and took third place. After a 3:2 victory over the current Olympic champions, the Slovenians leave Rome extremely satisfied.
“I am happier than with three silver medals,” he confirmed for Val 202 the theory that athletes in team sports are often more satisfied after finishing third than after finishing second Klemen Čebulj, who, together with captain Tinet Urnaut, formed an excellent receiving pair at this tournament as well.
When the French won the third and fourth sets, perhaps someone thought that the Slovenians would not recover in overtime, but they showed exceptional maturity. Tina Urnaut: “We played calmly in the fifth set. As we agreed. We left everything on the field. But more important was the fourth set, when we were in trouble but we didn’t fall apart, and then we carried that energy into the fifth set.”
If we get a ticket to Paris, it will be an indescribably beautiful summer.
Dejan Vinčić perfectly organized the Slovenian game after arriving in Rome just a day before the game (and replacing the injured Gregor Ropret). “Sincere thanks to Dejan for accepting the invitation. I don’t think we could have made it without him. He gave us energy, we played for the injured Gregor, and for all Slovenian fans,” said Čebulj.
The libero also confirmed that Vinčić did not actually know that he did not train with the national team this summer Jani Kovačič: “We were overjoyed when we learned that Vinko would come to help us. He was calm throughout the game, he did his job and helped us.“
The busy summer is not over for the volleyball players, in fact the most important task awaits them: the qualification tournament for the Olympic Games, which will take place in two weeks. Onion: “We know how much we want to come to the Olympics. These are for four years, while the European championships are for two years and after that they lose a bit of their charm. If we get a ticket to Paris, it will be an indescribably beautiful summer.“
The Slovenians will play the qualification for the 2024 OI in Japan (group B) between September 30 and October 8, and they have two places in the lead at the OI. Competitors will be Japan, USA, Serbia, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Finland. In Group A, the hosts of the tournament Brazil, Italy, Iran, Cuba, Ukraine, Germany, Czech Republic and Qatar will compete, while in Group C in China, Poland, Argentina, the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, Belgium and Bulgaria will compete alongside the hosts.
If the Slovenians are not successful in Japan, they will not close the door to Paris yet, in the end the world ranking can also decide, so it is very important that Gheorghe Cretu’s proteges performed so well in Varna and Rome (nine matches, eight victories ).
Source: Rtvslo
