By Siya Cele.
Elevate Water Polo’s men’s team returned from Slovakia with a silver medal after a standout performance at the Nordic Trophy Finals, becoming the first South African side to compete in the prestigious competition and finishing second overall.
The under-23-focused squad produced an impressive run through the tournament at the National Water Polo Centre in Nováky, Slovakia, defeating strong European opposition to secure a place in the final.
Elevate claimed a commanding 19-8 victory over SPIF Stockholm in the quarterfinal. Andrew Botha led the charge with three goals, two assists and three steals to earn Player of the Match honours.
The South Africans then booked their place in the championship match with a composed 17-13 semifinal win over Romanian club, CSU Oradea. Rourke Fisher was named Player of the Match after contributing three goals, one assist and three steals.
In the final, Elevate faced tournament hosts KVP Nováky in front of a passionate home crowd. Despite the challenge of taking on one of Slovakia’s leading clubs in their own pool, the South Africans delivered a spirited performance before going down 20-13.
Head coach Duncan Woods praised the team’s efforts throughout the tournament.
“A silver medal in a senior men’s European club competition is a real sign of the progress that is being made in South African water polo. The Elevate u23’s did superbly to win our quarter and semi-finals convincingly, and although we were defeated in the final, we are thrilled with the effort and attitude of this group of young men. Their futures are bright and we look forward to supporting them on the next stages of their careers.”
The result caps a successful European campaign for the squad, which was assembled to provide emerging South African players with meaningful international competition as they transition from junior to senior water polo.
Six members of the Elevate Water Polo group have already progressed into the South African senior men’s setup, underlining the value of the programme in developing the next generation of national team players.
Having navigated two rounds of European club competition in Lisbon and Tenerife to qualify for the finals, Elevate’s historic silver-medal finish provides further evidence that South African players are making huge strides on the international stage.
“I’m very proud of what we achieved as the Elevate U23 team in the Nordic League, finishing the campaign with a silver medal in the Nordic Trophy Finals. As a South African team competing against strong European opposition, this experience was invaluable and gave us a great opportunity to learn and grow.” said team captain, Sam Hanssen.
“What stood out most was seeing that the gap between us and the European teams is not as big as many might think. We competed well, challenged some top sides, and proved that South African waterpolo talent can perform at a high level. This silver medal is something to be proud of, but it’s also motivation to keep pushing forward.”