In an interview with the TV3 program “900 seconds”, the experienced hockey player said on Wednesday that he has a desire to prove himself and the team’s goal is only one – to win a ticket to the 2026 Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Games.
It has already been reported that the Latvian national team started preparing for the tournament on Monday, which will take place in Riga from August 29 to September 1. Before that, the Latvian national team will play two test matches, meeting the Danish national team on August 25 and 26 in Arena Riga.
“It will be very important to run and air out the lungs, because some players have not played yet this season,” said the captain of the team about the test matches. “You have to try to get back the feeling that you are ready for the season.”
In addition to the Latvian national team, France, Slovenia and Ukraine will fight for a ticket to the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The road sign to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be won by the strongest team in the final round of this qualification.
The first match for the Latvians will be against the Slovenians on August 29, the next day they will have to play against Ukraine, and on the final day of the tournament, the opponents will be the French.
The captain of the Latvian national team admitted that many hockey experts indicated that the Olympic ticket could be divided in the last game against France, but the national team will first focus on winning the first game.
“The first game is like an indicator – if you feel good, you can continue forward at that pace,” said Daugavins. “We only focus on the highest goals. If I think about it logically, this is my last chance to go to the Olympic Games.”
The 36-year-old Daugavins has represented the national team since 2006, having participated in 12 world championships and three Olympic Games, announcing the end of his career in the national team after the 2022 Olympics. He returned to the national team for the next year’s world championship and helped the national team win the first prize in history – bronze.
2024-08-21 17:34:52