Barcelona (EFE).- Spain, after its victory in the men’s final of the World Cup this past dawn and the bronze medal obtained by the women’s team, last week, also in Long Beach (United States), will reach the Championship of the World of Water Polo of Fukuoka (Japan) from July 16 to 29 with morale through the roof.
The boys beat Italy 10-4 in the final with a festival of defense and attack with Álvaro Granados and Felipe Perrone scoring 7 of the 10 goals and with Unai Aguirre stopping 3 out of 4 shots to be chosen as the best goalkeeper in the final.
The coach David Martín was “very happy with how the team has competed”, although “the preparation is focused to arrive well at the Fukuoka World Cup, which is the main competition”, he indicated in statements to the media of the Spanish Swimming Federation .
Spain, world water polo champion in 2022
The men’s team is the main favorite to retain the world title they won just a year ago in Budapest (Hungary) after beating Italy on penalties.
Italy, champion in 2019, and Spain in 2022 have taken center stage in recent years, while Serbia, seventh in Long Beach, has significantly lowered its performance.
Spain will play in Japan against two Balkan teams such as Serbia and Montenegro, plus South Africa in group D with a direct ticket to the quarterfinals for the first.
The United States and Greece (A) Italy (B), Croatia and Hungary (D) start, a priori, as the most powerful rivals for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Direct qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
The two finalists will have direct qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as an extra prize.
For its part, the women’s team will arrive in Japan with the same objective of qualifying for the Olympics and with the extra hunger of winning its second World Championship, after the one achieved 10 years ago in Barcelona.
Miki Oca’s team was bronze at the Long Beach World Cup with two great victories against Italy (12-5) and Hungary (18-15), but the defeat in the semifinals against the Netherlands (8-12) left the Spaniards out of the final.
Spain was fifth in the 2022 World Cup in Budapest after losing in the quarterfinals against the United States, winner of gold in the last four universal events.
Months later the national team won gold in the European Championship in Split (Croatia) and in the World League in Tenerife against Hungary in the final.
Oca has known how to mix the seniority of the eternal champions such as Laura Ester, Maica García, Anni Espar or Pili Peña, with the intermediate generation of Judith Forca, Bea Ortiz or Paula Leiton plus the irruption of the 21st century generation with Martina Terré and the sisters Elena and Ariadna Ruiz, among others.
Spain will play for first place in group B against the Netherlands with Israel and Kazakhstan as companions.
The United States and Australia (A), Italy and Greece (C) and Hungary and Canada (D) are the other possible rivals in the quarterfinals and semifinals.