Luxembourg, January 3, 2020. There is one spot left for a European team to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics during the tournament taking place in Berlin on January 5th-10th. Each player on each team will be vitally important, but for some their stories are especially interesting. Here are 5 players that I think will be the most intriguing during the CEV Tokyo Volleyball European Qualification 2020.
By Daniel Meneley - CEV Digital & TV Department
Jani Kovacic | 186cm Libero | Slovenia | Consar Rvenna
The Slovenian libero has started to get some recognition, with a best libero award at EuroVolley2019 with Slovenia’s second place finish. He is one of the few non-Italian liberos playing in the prestigious Italian league for club Consar Ravenna, where his is among the league leaders in reception with 27% passing efficiency. Slovenia has a strong offense when they are able to run their first tempo, and the excellent passing of Kovacic makes this happen. He is also able to cover more court for more offensive outside hitters like Klemen Cebluj, making him invaluable in reception. If Slovenia wants to replicate their incredible EuroVolley2019 run, then the continued excellence of Kovacic is a must.
Martin Atanasov | 199cm Outside Hitter | Bulgaria | Chaumont VB 52
The young Bulgarian outside hitter emerged as a key player for Bulgaria during the Olympic qualification tournament, where his 32 points were the second most on the team. He scored 18 of them in that epic 5-set match against Brazil that saw Bulgaria almost qualify for Tokyo in summer 2019. This is a time of transition for the aging Bulgarian team, which has not finished inside the top 10 of a major tournament in several years and whose players are mostly over the age of 30. Atanasov is part of a new generation of volleyball players that combine size, skill, and top-tier athleticism. And for Atansov, harnessing that athletic ability is the key, as with a spike touch of 370cm, he can hit over most blockers give the opportunity. We will see if that skillset fits into coach Silvano Prandi’s plan or he uses a more well-rounded player.
Nimir Abdel-Aziz | 201cm Opposite | The Netherlands | Allianz Milano
Following in the steps of Italian star Ivan Zaytsev, Nimir Abdel-Aziz has gone from world class setter to arguably one of the best opposite in the sport in just a few short years. After acting as the focal point for the Dutch offense in the Olympic Qualifiers and EuroVolley2019 this past summer, Nimir has set the Italian league on fire. He is the leading scorer of the league by over 60 points over 2nd-place Fernando Henandez, while taking his club Milano to an unprecedented 4th place, a spot usually reserved for one of Italy’s “big 4” teams. In Berlin, Nimir will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to carry the offense from the front row, back row, and service line. There are very few players capable of winning games by themselves in volleyball, but Nimir might be one of them.
Ben Toniutti | 183cm Setter | France | Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle
The past decade, the engine behind France’s success at the world stage has been the pinpoint accuracy and expert decision making of French setter Benjamin Toniutti. He is able to find his hitters from anywhere on the court and can find the middle even on a bad pass. And despite usually being the shortest player on the court, a springy vertical jump means he can still make some memorable blocks, usually to the delight of his teammates. This ability to get the best out of his team has resulted in a huge amount of success for his club Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle, with them winning 3 out of 4 Polish championships since Toniutti arrived. France has had success with Toniutti too, with two world league titles and a European Championships, but they are still chasing a coveted medal at a top completion like the Olympics.
Tobias Krick | 211cm Middle Blocker | Germany | United Volleys Frankfurt
One of several strong young players to make their way out of Germany’s development system recently is the towering middle blocker Tobias Krick. And he has been the most successful of those players so far, securing a starting spot on the German national team for several years now and already ranking as their best blocker. At 211cm tall, Krick is usually the most imposing player on the court. And for his size, he is remarkably agile, consistently getting out to the pins on fast sets and able to move his block in the air. In EuroVolley2019 he was in the top 10 for blocking among all players. While the German team is still comprised of a core group of veterans that have played together since the 2012 Olympics, contributions from young players like Krick will be vital if they are to make it to Tokyo.
For further information, visit the official event website https://roadtotokyo.cev.eu.