04/08/2019 21:00
Qualifiers Kądzioła and Ociepski claim honours at Malbork Castle
2019 World Tour 1-Star - Malbork
Malbork, Poland, August 4, 2019. On Sunday afternoon, Michał Kądzioła and Marcin Ociepski claimed gold in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Malbork – where their journey at the World Tour 1-Star event began in the qualification round for which they received a wild card. The last day of competition at the venue set up right next to the iconic Malbork Castle was the absolute climax of a highly successful tournament – with a full stadium and many more fans unable to find a seat.
“Our dream just came true. We are so happy that so many spectators came to watch the finals and the atmosphere was just amazing,” said Tournament Director, Mr Bartek Sobstyl.
With three teams in the semis, hosts Poland had secured at least two medals. However, the day started with a big upset. Lithuania’s Patrikas Stankevicius and Audrius Knasas beat Mariusz Prudel and Mikołaj Miszczuk in two quick sets (21-12, 21-16) in the first semi-final to progress to the gold medal match.
The second semi-final was a Polish derby – with Michał Kądzioła and Marcin Ociepski facing Michał Korycki and Martin Chiniewicz. After claiming a very close and exciting first set, Ociepski and Kądzioła just went with the flow and with a 2-0 victory (21-19, 21-15) they claimed the second spot in the final.
Prudel and Miszczuk brought back their best game for the bronze medal game. It was ‘just’ another medal match for two-time Olympian Prudel, who is a very experienced player, but for the remaining ones, it was a premiere at such a level. The fans did not disappoint and at 14:00, the venue at Malbork Castle was full of Beach Volleyball lovers. Both teams definitely deserved to be on the podium but at the end of the game, Prudel and Miszczuk could celebrate their first World Tour medal together (24-22, 21-15).
A full stadium at Malbork for the final matches of the 1-Star World Tour event.
The moment everybody was waiting for came at 15:30. Introduced by a group of young women wearing gothic clothes, the finalists took to the court after the crowd enjoyed an intro to the final while singing along their favourite tunes. Kądzioła and Ociepski beat Stankevicius and Knasas in two sets (23-21, 21-17) to become the ‘Knights of the Castle’.
“Winning gold on home soil feels so good! We are extremely happy and we would like to thank all the fans who came and cheered for us. Playing at the castle venue was just an incredible feeling,” said Ociepski.
At the end, the national anthem sang a cappella by the fans caused goose bumps to everyone in attendance. The memories will last for years – just as the bricks from the castle, which the winners received as a symbolic prize.
“We hope that all the people enjoyed these few days. Our team worked extremely hard to deliver the best possible event. Will it last longer than one edition? We will see. Malbork Castle is not moving anywhere,” said Marcin Szczechowicz, Tournament Promoter and CEO of Proskos.
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