Water polo: one year from the Games, the Blues want to make history

2023-07-25 07:55:28

In Fukuoka, the tricolor polo players take up a huge challenge in the quarter-finals against Spain, the reigning world champion, on Tuesday. Winner in the snatch of Australia in eighth Saturday – 11-8 (4-0, 2-5, 4-2, 1-1) -, the Blues offered themselves a first quarter-final in the world since 1986.

Thanks to this qualification among the eight best nations in the world, they equal the best performance of a French men’s team in the World Championships, a result obtained 37 years ago in Madrid. “It’s a tough competition so for us it’s good to be in the top 8 in the world with teams that we will certainly find at the Olympic Games”, underlined coach Florian Bruzzo.

For captain Ugo Crousillat, who said he was “very moved”, hanging on to the top 8 represents “something strong”. “But we don’t want to stop there. We are going to fall against the world champions but we are going to prepare well for this match and really go there to win it. We don’t set limits,” he said.

The Blues rely in particular on their point Thomas Vernoux, elected man of the match and considered one of the best players in the world. “He can do just about everything, shoot from the outside, play at the peak, defend”, summarizes Julien Issoulié, the DTN of tricolor swimming, about him. He is a very complete player and a big asset”. “We come here with a view to a medal,” says Vernoux. It won’t be easy against the Spaniards who are playing very well, but we are there too! »

The French thus confirm their progress after an encouraging summer of 2022 punctuated by a semi-final in the World League and a quarter at the European Championships.

In Paris next summer, the French men’s team would dream of winning the second Olympic title in its history, a hundred years after that of 1924, already at home. Led by their dean Mehdi Marzouki, 36, or their captain Ugo Crousillat, the Blues are not on fire but are certainly progressing.

For its part, the French women’s team, whose workforce is very young – five players out of twelve are under 20 – stopped in the quarter-finals in Fukuoka, beaten 16-9 (3-1, 4-4, 5-2, 4-2) by Spain in the round of 16 on Saturday.