01. 01. 2020
KOŠICE. A lost title in the team league competition is the reason why club president Ján Tokár Jr. uses the word "satisfied" a little cautiously. "If I look back at the whole year, there is a certain satisfaction, especially thanks to the successes of Dan Pálinkás at the European Championships and Jakub Kačeňák at the World Championships, who made a name for themselves on the international mat. However, I am disappointed with the league competition, where we not only failed to defend the title, but in the duel with Bratislava, we were unable to hold on to second place. Third place is a disappointment for me. We need to look within our own ranks and consult with the coach on how to set things up for next season so we can compete with our rivals. It is true that Snina invested significant financial resources in reinforcements, although it may be different next season. But that is not our problem; we need to look at ourselves, work on not losing at home to Bratislava, as happened now in the final league tournament. After all, last year we managed to beat them in the same lineup, even with Musuľbes, on their own mats. That's why the loss to Dunajplavba hurts me so much. Although our team did not compete with a full lineup, the injuries of some key players came at the worst possible time. I don't have the summarized results from the whole season yet to say whether we are again the most successful Slovak club, but when I glance at them, we dominated in the youth and junior categories, and we also managed to assert ourselves on the international mats, so in the overall evaluation, we should be at the top."
They will fight for a spot
For the president of ZK Košice 1904, the Olympics are still a priority. If any of his wrestlers participated in the games under the five colored rings, it would be the fulfillment of his dream. "I don't deny that I still dream of an Olympic spot, although getting one is not easy at all. The Olympics are in London in a year, and in another four in Rio de Janeiro; that's where we are looking. However, the criteria are set very strictly. If we want to go to London, we have to win a medal at the next European Championships, or at the following three qualifying tournaments, we have to achieve a placement on the podium. However, there will be extremely strong competition everywhere because many wrestlers from the former Soviet bloc have not yet managed to qualify for the Olympics. It is a question for the national coach which competitors he will nominate for these tournaments, but our boys should not be missing."
The largest international tournament that the people of Košice organize also has an Olympic undertone. And they raise the bar they have set for the Cup of Olympic Hopes a little higher every year. "The name is not accidental, because we have Olympic dreams," says Ján Tokár. "We do not regret the finances we have invested in it at all, because according to the feedback at home and abroad, we know that our Cup of Olympic Hopes is one of the best tournaments not only in Central Europe but on the entire continent. Naturally, we are trying to have it included in the official FILA calendar, and we want to increase its quality every year."
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