01. 01. 2020
They weren't at the London Olympics yet, but they have no intention of giving up on Rio de Janeiro. That's why Košice wrestling is betting on the young, who can confirm the legitimacy of their Olympic ambitions soon enough, cadets Matej Gazda and Gabriel Tysz at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan (August 21-27), and juniors Michael Bodnár and Dávid Berdis at the World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand (September 4-9).
KOŠICE. Their club coach, Miroslav Jedlička, is carefully monitoring the form of the representative quartet.
"Currently, we are again at a training camp in Poland, this time with juniors Bodnár and Berdys; cadets Gazda and Tysz are preparing with the national coach in Snina before leaving for Baku."
The coach of ZK Košice 1904 cannot praise the conditions at the Polish Olympic center in Walcz enough. "We are extremely satisfied here, we have everything we could wish for at our disposal, a gym, a weight room, and a football field. And not just one, but six grass ones. Although it's a bit emptier here after the Olympics, there is always a whole bunch of athletes, kayakers, footballers, wrestlers, athletes. And they can also use this complex for tourists. We have been cooperating with the Poles for three or four years now, but until now we have also gone to other sports centers. The advantage is that there is no language barrier for us here, and it also pays off for us from a sporting point of view because the Poles are better at wrestling than we are. Naturally, training camps in Ukraine or Kaliningrad, where we were in April, are also beneficial in this respect."
TYSZ IS EAGER FOR SUCCESS
Miroslav Jedlička pushed all the club representatives in preparation, but he will only attend the championship with the juniors; Bodnár and Berdis will go to Pattaya. Cadets Gazda and Tysz will have to deal with a small handicap in Baku.
"You can't sit on two chairs. Naturally, it's always better when the boys also have a personal coach at the championship, but there's no money for that. A coach can advise them, help them psychologically, but on that mat, the wrestler is still alone, it's up to him how he deals with the opponent."
Coach Jedlička does not expect any miracles from his club charges in Baku. "As I said, if they win one or two matches, if they advance to the next round, I will be satisfied. A lot depends on how their weight categories will be filled, and on the draw. I am especially curious about Gabi Tysz because he is literally eager for success, so we'll see."
HARDWORKING BODNÁR
The Košice junior freestyle number one, Michael Bodnár, is also getting ready for Pattaya in Thailand. And he does not even hide his medal ambitions.
"Again, I would be satisfied with placements in the top ten, as at the European Championships in Zagreb, but of course, I would be very pleased if the boys got as high as possible. In the back of my mind, I can even hope for a medal with Mišo, but I prefer to be more modest; here too, it depends on what the competition will be like. Mišo, however, is very hardworking in preparation, so he could be successful in Thailand. From Dávid Berdis, it would be desirable for him to believe in himself a little more. Naturally, he does not have as much international experience as Bodnár, but he has more of a problem with himself; he lacks a bit of the determination to say, I'll give it my all. In the future, it can certainly come, but I'm not saying that he couldn't surprise in Thailand."
However, such a destination also has its pitfalls. "That's why we're going there ten days in advance, on August 27th, even though the boys wrestle on September 9th. This time should be enough for us to acclimatize. We want to capitalize on good preparation, in which we have made up for what we lacked before the European Championships in Zagreb," says Miroslav Jedlička.
Korzár, Friday, August 17, 2012, Bohuš Matia