The gold medal came against the four-time winners in a row South Korea.Continue reading
The Hungarian men’s water polo team has won the gold medal at the World Championships in Fukuoka, beating Greece 14-13 after five meters in Saturday’s final.
The hero of the final was Soma Vogel, who made four saves in the five-meter duel. Under the guidance of national captain Zsolt Varga, the team has now won a World Championship title after winning silver at last year’s European Championships. The Hungarians won their fourth world title in history after 1973, 2003 and 2013. Like the Greeks, the team has already secured its quota for next year’s Paris Olympics by reaching the final.
Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
The Hungarian and Greek teams have met nine times in the history of the World Championships, with the Hungarians winning all of them, most recently in the 2017 tournament, in the semi-final on Margaret Island in Budapest, 7-5. The first time the Greeks beat Hungary was in the semi-finals of the 1997 World Cup in Athens (8-4), and they had to wait until the 2021 Tokyo Olympics to win again at a world tournament, when they did so twice, 10-9 in the group stage and 9-6 in the semi-finals. The two teams also played each other 22 years ago to the day in Fukuoka, when fifth place was at stake.
Featured Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd