01. 01. 2020
Although this year's junior world or European wrestling championships are still relatively far over the horizon (the European championship will be in July in Skopje, Macedonia, and the world championship in August in Sofia), "national" medals have already been distributed in Slovakia. So far, only to the freestyle wrestlers, who had their domestic championship last weekend in Šamorín.
KOŠICE. From the tournament, where teams were also evaluated, the juniors of ZK Košice 1904 returned with three of the most valuable metals (Sciranka in the 74 kg weight category, Bodnár up to 84 kg, and Tysz up to 96 kg) and a twenty-point lead in the team table ahead of the home team Šamorín. A decent start to the new year for the Košice team, what do you say? But the club's head coach, Juraj Dancák Sr., is more moderate in his assessment of this success.
"If we had won five titles at the domestic championship (as was the case last year at the junior freestyle championship in Bratislava - editor's note), I would consider it a success, because we realistically had our sights set on four gold medals. But three titles are a disappointment for me. I definitely expected more, but thanks to various circumstances, we lost several better placements. I consider the performance of Paľo Kmeč in the 74 kg category and Mišo Pavlík in the 60 kg as a failure. Kmeč, even though he had some health problems due to his shoes, lost a won match in the semifinals against Grečák; after the first period, he was leading 6:0, lost the second, and completely folded in the third. Even though Jakub Sciranka won this weight category, I expected to have double representation in the final. I was also counting on a title in the 60 kg category, although Pavlík and Berdis faced each other in the opening round, in a premature final. Even though Mišo Pavlík was in the match for gold, he disappointed in it against Megály from Marcelová. Although we had, including Gabi Tysz, who had only two opponents in the 96 kg category, five finalists, we only managed to get three titles out of it."
POOR PARTICIPATION
In the competition that gathered on the Šamorín mats, it seems, by Košice standards, a bit modest. "Fifty-four wrestlers for such a competition is a poor turnout in my opinion," says Juraj Dancák. "Not in terms of quality, but in terms of quantity. Of our most serious competitors on the domestic scene, Snina came with only four or five wrestlers, even without a coach, and not to mention Dunajplavba Bratislava, which is in total disarray; they even withdrew from the men's league. We had the most wrestlers at the junior championship, ten..."
SENIOR SPURS FOR BODNÁR
Michael Bodnár, Jakub Sciranka, and Michal Pavlík... They should also be the driving forces of the Slovak junior national team this year. "The nomination of wrestlers for the first international tournaments this year is also based on the results of the domestic championship; it is the first stage in assembling the team for the European and World Junior Championships. Pavlík and Sciranka are supposed to go to the tournament in Riga (Freidenfeld's Cup, March 16-17 - editor's note). Mišo Bodnár is already preparing for a higher level, the upcoming European Senior Championships in Tbilisi (March 19-24), although there was some debate about it in our club. As the reigning Slovak senior champion, however, he was offered the opportunity to compete at the European senior championship," explains his club coach.
Korzár, Thursday, March 7, 2013, Bohuš Matia