CELEBRATIONS SHORT-LIVED AS HARD WORK CONTINUES
A silver medal at a major European event may have given British
Water Polo cause to celebrate after achieving their best result
for many years but any celebrations were tempered by the hard
work still required to return the sport to its former glory
years.
British Water Polo is undergoing a sharp transition from
minority sport in this country to that of a competitive world
force in time for the London 2012 Olympics and an impressive
result at the LEN Women's European B Water Polo Championships
last weekend is testament to the fact progress is indeed being
made.
Britain's women recorded their best result in a very long
time for a sport that has a rich Olympic tradition. Britain's
men won Olympic gold in 1908, 1912 and 1920 but since 1956
the nation has been missing from the biggest sporting arena.
With the Olympics destined for London in 2012, British Water
Polo has spent the past two years painstakingly identifying
and nurturing talent while putting in place a programme to
return Britain to the higher echelons of the sport.
And the signs that Britain are moving through the ranks of
water polo nations were there for all to see at the European
B Championships in Prague but the journey is long and those
responsible for the progress are under no illusion there is
still a great deal to be done before Britain can compete on
Olympic stages of the future.
One of those who has led the implementation of a world class
development programme in Britain is National Performance Director
for Water Polo Nick Hume and he has been encouraged not only
by recent results but by the dedication of those involved
in chasing the glories of the past.
"I think the situation within British Water Polo is
a very positive one," said Hume. "It's so pleasing
to see we're making advances within the sport and this was
evident with the women's result in Prague.
"Two years ago we finished the tournament in sixth place
and this year managed to improve on that considerably with
a silver medal and just one defeat throughout the entire tournament.
That's impressive.
"We've worked hard over the past two years to develop
the sport within Britain and it's beginning to pay off as
recent results show."
Britain's silver medal at the European B Championships came
courtesy of a team that is now able to train regularly together
under the experienced eye of Hungarian-born coach Szilveszter
Fekete.
Their record for the tournament reads three wins, a draw and
one defeat. Victories were achieved against Turkey (27-3),
Slovakia (7-5) and Ukraine in the semi-final (9-6).
The group stage Britain drew with pre-tournament favourites
France in a thrilling 11-11 battle but in the final, however,
the French proved too strong and came out on top 6-2 to take
the gold medal.
"We only lost one game throughout the tournament which
is pleasing as we want to make winning a habit," explained
Hume. "Britain lost to a French team who've had big successes
in the past in many major tournaments.
"Britain drew with them in the group match and we actually
had the opportunity to win that game. This indicates the strides
we've made. We're still learning how to win in pressure situations,
which we saw in the final, but overall it was quite an improvement
from the women.
"It was a real team effort. Everyone played their part
and played well at different times. Consistency will come
with experience but they showed what they're capable of and
now we have to look forward."
Hume sees the result as a major milestone in Britain's journey
to become one of the world's feared teams.
"There are two tiers within European water polo and
for too long Britain has been in the second group. What we're
seeing now is the transition into the top tier of teams although
there is still a long way to go," he said.
"We are under no illusions that Britain is at the bottom
of that top tier but we're there and that's a testament to
the efforts of the athletes and people involved in the programme.
The next step though is going to require much more as we try
to catch those teams that are above us."
Success in Prague has also defined Britain's next set of
goals as they continue to develop. A top four finish sees
Britain into January's qualification tournament for the European
Championships and this is their next focus.
The top four from the second tier will play the bottom four
of the upper tier for a place within Europe's biggest international
event.
"It's an exciting time for the team and the sport, and
in January we'll have the chance to see what is needed to
take that next step forward when the women play in the European
Championships Qualification Tournament," said Hume.
"We'll be playing teams that until recently were way
ahead of us and the likelihood is that we'll find it tough
but it's where we need to be to continue the transition and
it means we're achieving the targets we've set ourselves."
With a good result behind British Water Polo, Hume isn't
getting carried away and retains a sense of caution. He's
sticking to the game plan laid out at the beginning of the
year which requires a lot of heavy training as opposed to
competition.
"The calendar has been carefully looked at and we've
identified events at specific times of the year that we feel
will be of real benefit to the programme," explained
Hume.
"A comprehensive strength and conditioning programme
has been designed for the women and is their main focus this
year. If we compete in too many competitions this will have
an adverse effect on that strength work so we're being careful.
"We're trying to create a foundation for the future
and that will require the right preparation now. We want to
be competing at the top level in Europe in 2010 and at the
Olympics in 2012 so we need to make sure the work is done
now and a platform put in place from which to build."
Without doubt, Britain's competitive edge and fitness levels
have been improved as a result of British Water Polo's appointment
of coach Szilveszter Fekete.
For the past two months Fekete has been working with the
team in Manchester on a daily basis and this regime has paid
off instantly.
"Fekete has brought a culture of hard work to the team
that is an institution in his home country of Hungary,"
said Hume. "He's very experienced in the training and
development of athletes and offers a new approach in terms
of the type and intensity of training.
"While in Prague we also saw what a good tactician he
was when faced with making some difficult decisions.
"He'll bring improvements to the players and the sport
but for the future we need to see more competition for places
which will have a massive impact on the teams."
Britain's men will undergo a similar status report on their
improvements when Manchester hosts the LEN Men's European
Nations Trophy which gets underway next week (8th to 15th
July).
The biggest international water polo event to be staged in
Britain in over a decade will take place at the Manchester
Aquatics Centre and Hume will be interested to see how the
men fair.
"This is the biggest test to date for what is still
a very young squad," he said. "It will give the
team an indication of where they're at in the run up to 2012
and it's a big event for them because it's on home soil.
"Because it's their first major tournament there are
no particular expectations on the team. We will be looking
to collect wins along the way but this is our first official
tournament in Europe in five years so it's a big test.
"The best teams in the world are from Europe, which
makes it by far the toughest continent to compete in. The
lads have been improving and training hard but it takes time
to put a team together."
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