SWISS AQUATICS Internationale Schwimmstars geben sich im NLZ in Tenero die Klinke in die Hand

 

Nach dem kurzen Besuch von Thomas Ceccon in der Swiss Aquatics Training Base, wird nun Matthew Sates im Tessin erwartet und für drei Monate unter den Schwimm-Nationaltrainern Massimo Meloni und Andrea Mercuri trainieren.

Nachdem kurz vor Weihnachten Olympiasieger, Weltrekordhalter und mehrfacher Weltmeister Thomas Ceccon einige Trainingseinheiten im Centro Sportivo in Tenero unter Massimo Meloni absolviert hatte, wird am 3. Januar mit Matthew Sates der nächste internationale Topschwimmer im Tessin erwartet. Der 21-jährige Südafrikaner gilt als eines der grössten Schwimmtalente. Mit gerade einmal 18 Jahre stellte er beim Weltcup 2021 mehrere Junioren-Weltrekorden auf und sicherte sich mit 18 Podestplätzen, davon 13 Siege, auch den Gesamtsieg. Ein Jahr später krönte er sich an der Kurzbahn-WM in Melbourne zum Weltmeister. Danach geriet seine Karriere jedoch etwas ins Stocken, weitere grosse Titel blieben aus. Nachdem die Olympischen Spiele für ihn enttäuschend geendet hatten, suchte er nach einer Veränderung und klopfe aufgrund dessen an die Tür des Nationalen Leistungszentrums im Schwimmen im CST. Durch das Training in der Gruppe mit Noè Ponti unter den Nationaltrainern Massimo Meloni und Andrea Mercuri, deren Qualitäten weit über die Landesgrenzen hinaus bekannt sind, verspricht sich der Südafrikaner neue Inputs, um wieder an die alten Erfolge anknüpfen zu können. Sates ist für seine guten Tauch- und Unterwasserphasen bekannt. Durch das Training mit Noè Ponti, dem Weltbesten in dieser Phase, kann auch Sates sicherlich noch weiter Fortschritte machen. Doch Meloni und Mercuri sind nicht nur aufs Schwimmtraining bezogen absolute Spitzenkräfte. Sie schaffen es als Trainer mit ihrer menschlichen Art die Sportler:innen auch emotional dort zu unterstützen, wo sie es benötigen und ihnen Selbstvertrauen und Sicherheit zu geben, um auf Topniveau perfomen zu können und nach Rückschlägen wieder aufzustehen. Die Aufnahme von Sates im NLZ in Tenero ist eine Win-Win-Situation. Nicht nur der Südafrikaner, sondern die gesamte Trainingsgruppe mit Nationalkaderathleten wie Ponti, Toscan oder Niederberger wird dadurch profitieren können.

Matthew Sates wird ab Januar für mindestens drei Monate an der Swiss Aquatics Training Base trainieren und in die Trainingsgruppe von Noè Ponti und Marius Toscan integriert werden. So wird er auch mit ins Höhentrainingslager im Januar nach St. Moritz reisen oder im Februar das Trainingslager auf Lanzarote absolvieren.

SWISS AQUATICS Des stars internationales de la natation se succèdent au CNP de Tenero

Après la brève visite de Thomas Ceccon à la Swiss Aquatics Training Base, c'est maintenant Matthew Sates qui est attendu au Tessin pour s'entraîner pendant trois mois sous la houlette des entraîneurs nationaux de natation Massimo Meloni et Andrea Mercuri.

Après que le champion olympique, détenteur du record du monde et multiple champion du monde Thomas Ceccon a effectué quelques unités d'entraînement au Centro Sportivo de Tenero sous la direction de Massimo Meloni peu avant Noël, le prochain nageur international de haut niveau, Matthew Sates, est attendu au Tessin le 3 janvier. Ce Sud-Africain de 21 ans est considéré comme l'un des plus grands talents de la natation. A seulement 18 ans, il a établi plusieurs records du monde juniors lors de la Coupe du monde 2021 et s'est également assuré la victoire au classement général avec 18 podiums, dont 13 victoires. Un an plus tard, il a remporté le titre de champion du monde aux championnats du monde en petit bassin à Melbourne. Mais sa carrière s'est ensuite quelque peu essoufflée et il n'a pas remporté d'autres grands titres. Après des Jeux olympiques décevants, il a cherché un changement et a donc frappé à la porte du centre national d'entraînement des nageurs au CST. En s'entraînant dans le groupe de Noè Ponti sous la houlette des entraîneurs nationaux Massimo Meloni et Andrea Mercuri, dont les qualités sont connues bien au-delà des frontières nationales, le Sud-Africain espère obtenir de nouveaux apports qui lui permettront de renouer avec ses anciens succès.Sates est connu pour ses bonnes phases de plongée et d'immersion. En s'entraînant avec Noè Ponti, le meilleur du monde dans cette phase, il peut certainement encore progresser. Mais Meloni et Mercuri ne sont pas seulement des spécialistes reconnus de l'entraînement à la natation. Ils parviennent, grâce à leur approche humaine, à soutenir les athlètes émotionnellement, là où ils en ont besoin, et à leur donner confiance et sécurité pour qu'ils puissent perfomer au plus haut niveau et se relever après des défaites. L'accueil de Sates au CNP de Tenero est une situation gagnant-gagnant. Non seulement le Sud-Africain, mais aussi tout le groupe d'entraînement avec des athlètes du cadre national comme Ponti, Toscan ou Niederberger pourront en profiter.

Matthew Sates s'entraînera à partir de janvier pour au moins trois mois à la Swiss Aquatics Training Base et sera intégré au groupe d'entraînement de Noè Ponti et Marius Toscan. Ainsi, il se rendra également au camp d'entraînement en altitude à St-Moritz en janvier ou au camp d'entraînement à Lanzarote en février.

photo by tsutomu kishimoto for world aquatics

USA WATER POLO National Team Head Coach Contracts Extended Through LA28 Olympic Games

 

Irvine, CA – January 3, 2025 – USA Water Polo CEO Jamie Davis has announced contract extensions for head coaches Dejan Udovicic and Adam Krikorian to bring an unprecedented level of stability to USA Water Polo men's & women's national teams. The new agreements secure leadership through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Udovicic will embark on his fourth straight quadrennium after leading the Team USA men to a bronze medal in Paris. For Krikorian, the march to LA will be his fifth consecutive Olympic cycle after guiding the US women to six world championship titles, three Olympic gold medals, and a fourth-place finish in Paris last year.

"USA Water Polo has two of the best international coaches in the world and I am excited to announce that Adam Krikorian will lead our women's senior national team and Dejan Udovicic our men's senior national team on our paths for gold medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games," said Davis. "Adam's accomplishments are unparalleled, and under Dejan's leadership in Paris last summer our men won the program's first Olympic medal since 2008. We have big goals on the journey to LA28 and I'm confident that Adam and Dejan will position us well for victory."

Krikorian, considered to be the greatest women's water polo coach of all-time, turned the US women's team into the definition of excellence after taking over the program in 2009. Since then, the US women have claimed three Olympic gold medals (in 2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo), six World Aquatics Championships titles (in 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024), four World Cups (in 2010, 2014, 2018, 2023), four Pan American Games titles (in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and 11 World League Super Final crowns (2009-2012, 2014-2019, 2021). From 2014 through 2022 the US women were simply dominant, winning every major championship more than once and setting a modern record for winning 69 women's matches in a row. Krikorian has been honored as the 2012 USOPC Olympic Coach of the Year, a 2013 USOPC Jack Kelly Fair Play Award recipient, a member of the Pac-12 All-Century Team for coaching and the UCLA Hall of Fame.

"I am thrilled to continue to be a part of a program that has given so much to me personally and that has had such an enormous positive influence on the sport throughout our country and the world," Krikorian said. "I look forward to working with the team of athletes and staff through the detailed process of development and forging the relationships along the way that makes the journey so special."

"We understand that hosting the Olympic Games in LA is a unique opportunity to inspire people all over the country and for our program to display the values that have made our team so special and transcend the sport," Krikorian added.

For the US men, an Olympic bronze medal in Paris marked the latest step in a steady rise since Udovicic took charge in 2013. In Rio 2016, the men placed 10th. In Tokyo 2020, they rose to 6th, and in Paris 2024—after claiming their first medal in the World Cup since 1997 (a bronze) – they ended a 16-year Olympic medal drought to land on the podium. Now, their sights are set on the ultimate prize in Los Angeles. In addition, Udovicic led the team to three Pan American Games titles (in 2015, 2019, 2023) and three World Aquatics World League silver medals (in 2016, 2021, 2022). During his tenure, the men's development pipeline has also recorded historic finishes including the cadet national team's gold at the Darko Cukic Memorial Tourney in 2017 and the junior national team's first medal for a US men's program at any level in World Championship play: a 2023 bronze. On top of that, Udovicic has played a critical role in helping a record number of US national team athletes compete for professional club teams in Europe.

"I'm so proud of what our team accomplished over the last four years and thrilled to continue as head coach of the USA men's national team," Udovicic said. "I want to thank everyone in USA Water Polo for their support. I'm excited to build on our results from Paris with Los Angeles up next. We have an excellent core group of athletes that are entering their prime [and] putting us in a position to achieve what has been my goal since the day I joined USA Water Polo: reaching the top of the podium and winning a gold medal. We know this won't be easy but I believe in our team and our staff and am confident the best is yet to come."

Both national teams return to action this month. The US men are off to Bucharest, Romania, to play World Cup Division 1 from January 7-12. The US women also compete in World Cup Division 1, from January 14-19 in Alexandroupolis, Greece. Rosters for those events will be announced prior to the start of play.

Wood Nest Sports Becomes Sponsor Partner for European Aquatics Water Polo Club Competitions in Historic Three-Year Deal

 

European Aquatics has signed a groundbreaking three-year deal with the Wood Nest Sports Group (WNS), naming them the official sponsor of the entire water polo club competition system.
This partnership with WNS will involve brand activations across the Champions League, Euro Cup, and Challenger Cup men’s and women’s competitions.
This marks a historic milestone as the first time European Aquatics has secured a dedicated sponsor for its water polo club competitions.
The agreement aligns with the Water Polo strategic plan, which seeks to leverage the growth and global recognition of the Champions League, the world’s most prestigious water polo club competition, to promote the sport across all European club competitions.
With the agreement bringing six-figure revenue to the sport over the next three years, it opens up opportunities to invest in and further develop the sport’s brand, while providing greater support for Europe’s water polo clubs. This also enhances European Aquatics' efforts to expand the competition pyramid, creating more opportunities for all participants across the continent.
European Aquatics First Vice President Josip Varvodic, who drove the efforts to secure the sponsorship agreement said: “We are extremely grateful to Mr. Anil Kumar, CEO of Wood Nest Sports, for recognizing the ongoing growth and success of our club competitions, and to our TWPC Vice Chair Karl Izzo for facilitating this significant achievement for European Aquatics’ water polo club competitions. This partnership strengthens our position and enables us to better reward the clubs for their continuous support over the years.”
Wood Nest Sports Group, based in New Delhi, India, is committed to providing a safe, fun, and inclusive environment where athletes can learn, grow, and excel. For more information, visit www.woodnestsports.com. Under the leadership of CEO Anil Kumar, WNS Group is dedicated to supporting the global development of water polo, complementing the company’s expanding portfolio of sports.