04. 11. 2012
Košice, Trenčín (November 4, 2012) - Three individual Slovak championship titles for Peter Pastor, Dan Pálinkás, and Michael Bodnár, and the cup for the club's first place adorn the trophy case of our ZK Košice 1904 after the domestic senior freestyle championship, which took place on Saturday, November 3, in Trenčín. We congratulate the Slovak champions, coach Juraj Dancák Sr., and the other boys on their success!
Perhaps the most surprising, and all the more pleasant, is M. Bodnár's victory in the 84 kg weight category, where the ZK Košice 1904 wrestler "sidelined" the entire quintet of competitors from Dunajplavba Bratislava, led by the Slovak representative Matejov. The "championship" return of P. Pastor (up to 55 kg), who was silver last year in Bratislava in the 60 kg category, was also pleasing. The triumph of D. Pálinkás in the 74 kg category was a confirmation of his quality and invincibility. The young men Michal Pavlík (up to 60 kg) and Pavol Kmeč (up to 66 kg) delighted with their silver medals. Michal Geralský (up to 120 kg) also finished second. Bronze medals were won by Slavomír Kupčo (up to 55 kg), Dávid Berdis (up to 60 kg), and Jakub Kačeňák (up to 74 kg).
Our freestyle wrestlers' biggest rivals were from Bratislava. The club's competitors from the left bank of the Danube won three titles, similar to our boys (Obžera up to 66 kg, Jaloviar up to 96 kg, and Vojčák up to 120 kg), but the ZK Košice wrestlers dominated with 64 points in the overall ranking of 17 clubs, securing a 24-point lead over second-place Dunajplavba, and even a 56-point lead over third-place Vihorlat Snina.
The president of ZK Košice 1904, Ján Tokár Jr., was overflowing with satisfaction: "Certainly, the three titles and six other medals we achieved at the Slovak championships are a perfect result. After arriving from New York, it was really pleasant news for me. It's a shame that due to the time difference, I couldn't personally see our boys' matches, but I will definitely watch them on video with coach Dancák."
The coach of the ZK Košice 1904 seniors, J. Dancák Sr., was also satisfied with the placements and performances of his charges: "The team performed at its limit, whether individual goals were achieved or not. I can't blame anyone for lack of effort or unwillingness to wrestle their best. That's how it is, sometimes it works out for someone and not for another. Not everyone can be first. The biggest surprise was Mišo Bodnár's performance. Already in the match with Matejov, I saw that he was at ease, believed in himself, and most importantly, had what it takes to win overall. He is maturing. Although in his case it is premature to say such a thing, he is still a junior by age. Dan Pálinkás and Peter Pástor gave really quality performances. Especially in Dan, you can see a goal-oriented approach, which resulted from honest preparation. The same applies to Peter. Jakub Kačeňák lost his position by moving to a higher weight category. Despite giving his maximum in training, it will take some time for him to establish himself. I was pleasantly surprised by Miki Pavlík's performance. Shortly before the end of the weigh-in, he realized that he wouldn't make the cut. The worst possible scenario. Despite considerable exhaustion, he only lost in the final to Bolotnyuk, for whom he is not yet a match. With Pali Kmeč, it is necessary to have more patience. From my point of view, I feel that it is not quite there yet, he definitely has more in him. Mišo Geralský gave his maximum performance. His work commitments do not allow him to prepare better, and he was not yet fully healthy. A similar situation is with Marek Okoš. It is difficult to expect better results in such a short time. He had not trained for a long time due to a lingering injury. It takes time. In the cases of Slavo Kupčo and Dávid Berdis, I see a training deficit.
As I have already stated, I was not disappointed with anyone's performance. Honest training will show sooner or later. That is in the case of young competitors or those who did not manage to achieve their goals."
Results of the Slovak Senior Championships in freestyle (and classic) style can be found here