Lausanne, Switzerland, October 2, 2018 – Poland’s successful defence of their world title at the Italy-Bulgaria 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship has been earning plaudits around the world via social media.
Vital Heynen’s Poland were dominant at Turin’s Pala Alpitour as they defeated Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games gold medallists Brazil 3-0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-23) in a repeat of the Poland 2014 final. It meant they add a third world title to the ones they won in at Mexico 1974 and Poland 2014.
Heynen was the mastermind behind Poland’s successful defence of their world title. The Belgian’s team began the tournament in fine form and won five from five in the first round.
In the second round they nearly went out after defeats to Argentina and France, but a win over Serbia kept their hopes alive. They repeated the victory in their first third round match, and while they lost to hosts Italy, they reached the semifinals by virtue of winning more sets.
With a place in the gold medal match on the line Poland dug deep in an epic clash against the USA and prevailed 3 -2 (25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11) to set up a final showdown against Brazil.
Opposite spiker Bartosz Kurek was named tournament MVP at the end of the gold medal match. It was a fitting honour after the 30-year-old hit the Championship winning point with a powerful spike, a point that sent Poles around the world delirious with joy.
Leading the applause was Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who was quick to offer his congratulations to Heynen and his team.
The USA completed the podium line-up after they beat Serbia 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 32-30, 25-19) in the bronze medal match. It meant John Speraw’s team ended the USA’s wait for a place on the podium that dated back to when they won bronze at Greece 1994.
The night belonged to Poland though, and the players and staff didn’t hold back on their celebrations in Turin. Celebrations that they are sure to continue once home in Poland
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