22/10/2014 10:14
Ultimate Team Leader Wout Wijsmans back on European stage
2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Istanbul, Turkey, October 22, 2014. Wout Wijsmans has returned back to Europe after spending one season in China and for his comeback the Belgian-born wing-spiker has decided to join forces with one of the most decorated sports clubs in the world, Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK. ISTANBUL. Wijsmans will carry on his bright shoulders the hope of many Fenerbahce fans to challenge Volleyball heavyweight Halkbank ANKARA in domestic competitions as well as to perform well in the so-called “group of death” of the 2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men.
“The year we spent in China was a great experience for me and my family,” Wijsmans says. “Their national league is just developing and last year it was only the second season they had foreign players on some of their teams. It was great to share this experience with Chinese players who are willing to learn and to improve. They all want to know more about Volleyball in Europe. I learned a lot and this experience was very useful to open my mind to an unknown world. So I can only say it was a good thing for my Volleyball career as well as for my personal growth and development.”
Wijsmans returns to Europe’s elite competition one and a half year after losing a dramatic final match to Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK back in March 2013 as he wore the jersey of Italy’s Bre Banca Lannutti CUNEO. “Of course it hurts when you lose a final match of the Champions League after being so close to take the trophy home,” Wijsmans recalls. “However, I still think that back then we did an excellent job getting so far. It made us a lot stronger as a group. So as far as that result is concerned, I wouldn’t change anything because I know that we did everything we could to win that final game.”
Wout spent most of his career in Italy and played for about ten years in Cuneo, a team that decided not to register in the 2014/2015 edition of the Italian national league citing financial difficulties. “After playing for ten years in Cuneo and being their team captain for nine seasons I was of course very much involved in everything that unfolded there,” Wijsmans says. “Already last year when I left to China I knew that discussions were ongoing about the possibility to close the club. However, once I heard the news and that the plans were turned into reality, I was very sad but at the same time proud of sharing the history of such amazing and successful team.”
Wijsmans is back in Europe playing for Fenerbahce SK., the team that last year won the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup. “First of all playing for Fenerbahce is a big honour and so far it has been a great experience,” Wout says. “My family and I love Istanbul. I have always hoped to play one day in the Turkish national league and being able to do that makes me a lucky person. I think we have a very competitive team but have seen many other strong teams around here in Turkey. We have to push ourselves to our limits, helping each other and enjoy every moment on the court. If we do this, results will follow.”
Wout is one of two Volleyball legends on the roster of Fenerbahce together with Serbian icon Ivan Miljkovic, who has been playing in Istanbul for a number of years already. “We played together for two years, from 2001 to 2003, in Macerata. It is amazing that after more than ten years we have ended up playing for the same team again. We are both a little older, wiser and more experienced. For me Ivan is one of the best opposite players in the world, if not the best one from his generation. To play with him makes me, again, a very lucky person.”
Wijsman’s comeback on the European stage will be a demanding one as Fenerbahce was drawn in Pool E, the so-called “group of death” including Belogorie BELGOROD, Cucine Lube TREIA and PARIS Volley. “We definitely did not have any luck with the draw,” Wijsmans admits. “However, since we want to progress to the late stages of the competition, sooner or later we have to play such strong teams anyway. Of course it is always better to play such teams in the later stages of the competition. It is going to be a huge challenge but we are going to give our best. After all, we are Fenerbahce!”
Wijsmans received last year the award for the “Ultimate Team Leader” at the European Volleyball Gala in Vienna: “Of course it was a big honour. To me it means that people respect and understand what I have been trying to do and achieve throughout the ten years I spent in Cuneo. I will now be playing here in Fenerbahce with players who have a lot of experience, so my main concern is that I can play as good as I can, helping the team and my teammates in the best possible way.”
Wout is since a few years an Italian citizen but does not forget his Belgian roots. And actually his home country performed really strong on the international stage lately. “Of course I follow Belgian Volleyball, our “Red Dragons” and the “Yellow Tigers”. Our federation and clubs have done a great job becoming more professional, helping players grow and get better. As you all know, our national teams have done really well lately even on the most prestigious stages. I think that if they keep on working as they have done so far, they will continue to improve.”
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