07/04/2015 18:37
Getting to know: Tobias Krick – The Big German
2015 CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship - Men
Sakarya, Turkey, April 7, 2015. Basketball star Dirk Nowitzki (2.13m), footballer Per Mertesacker (1.98m) and Volleyball rising star Tobias Krick (2.11m). Three German sportspeople who have just one thing in common: they are all called the “BIG GERMAN”. The young man listed last is still on the way to become the best middle blocker of the 2015 CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship – Men but he has all the attributes to start a shining career in the sport also after the #EurovolleyU19M comes to an end.
You can follow the Championship also on Facebook and Twitter, with the official hashtag to be used for all of your posts and tweets being #EuroVolleyU19M!
All matches from Pool II in Sakarya are streamed live and for free on LAOLA1.tv
If someone sees Tobias Krick for the first time, he may just spot a lanky, thin and quiet guy. But as he enters the court, the 2.11m middle blocker takes on his spot and turns into a nightmare for his opponent’s attackers time and again. His smart way of playing, his huge hands, long arms and unusual size for a 16-year-old teenager put him in the position to be one of the most impressive players to leave their mark on the preliminary round in Sakarya. “I have been taller than the others since I started to grow up, but I’m used to this. It hardens me,” says Krick with a bright smile on his face and continues seriously: “It is my ultimate dream to participate in the Olympic Games in the future.”
His coach Matus Kalny trusts in his skills and motivation to carry out the plans they agree upon: “He has a great feeling for the ball and does everything to be successful within the team. I think he can make it to the senior national team, but it will be a long and hard journey and he has to continue to work hard every day”, adds Kalny who was able to take the football fan of Schalke 04 to the “Volleyball-Internat Frankfurt” in 2013 and gave him the chance to play in Germany’s U19 national team.
At the #EuroVolleyU19M in Sakarya the block machine from Rheinland-Pfalz was able to improve his performance game by game and has so far scored 32 points (including 10 blocks) in the matches against the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Spain. Above all it is very special that he has the chance to compete in Turkey after a break of two months due to a knee injury he suffered immediately after the European Championship qualification tournament held last January in Frankfurt. “He becomes better and better and he worked hard to join the team for the tournament here. He went through a difficult period, but Tobias is back,” comment his coach.
It’s a statement that sounds as a good omen for the next days when Germany will play against Romania and Turkey vying for a spot in the semis. If they want to stop the current run of the German team, these sides have to find a way to stop the Big German, too. The Big German who quickly replies if someone asks him about his hero: he will immediately mentions the name of the Russian giant Dmitriy Muserskiy who won Olympic gold in London three years ago to fulfill his lifelong dream. A dream and a journey that Tobias Krick has just started to pursue.
Click here for further information on Final Round of the 2015 CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship – Men.
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