We have won the Beijing Olympics one year ago

Head coach DÉNES KEMÉNY to VLV:

- For a while we had part in an almost exaggerated attention and celebration and after a while it seemed as if the victory was forgotten and I think that it „got in its place” now. Allegorically speaking, it got up on the shelf and we can take it down anytime, just like a great piece of literature…  

Team captain TIBOR BENEDEK to VLV: 

- Back then, after we arrived home, when the celebrations ceased, we got over it fast, but naturally it feels very nice to remember the events of a year ago. And not just that day, but all the other huge successes we achieved together, because I can now say that I'm a three time Olympic champion! Honestly speaking, while I have footage of all these finals, I have never watched them. Lately however, I have been thinking about it and I think I will make time for them…

- We would like to congratulate you on the birth of Barka, we wish her the very best! 

- Thank you, I have read the article on VLV and we are looking forward to seeing pictures of Zétény Madaras to see if he's eligible!  

PÉTER BIROS to VLV:

- Hogy őszinte legyek, megfeledkeztem erről az évfordulóról, igaz, általában nem tartom számon, hogy pontosan mely napon, napokon nyertünk olimpiát. (Dénes néha küld egy "Boldog születésnapot!" üzenetet az ilyen évfordulókon.) Hogy mi változott? Nem sok minden, egy évvel ezelőtt kettőről háromra léptünk előre, de a célok most is ugyanazok: számunkra nagyjából csak a győzelem az elfogadható. Arra emlékeztet minket ez a nap, hogy egy fantasztikus győzelmet arattunk, de nincs pirossal bekeretezve a naptáramban, nem gondolok rá minden nap, legfeljebb néha eszembe jut, különösen ha emlékeztetnek rá.


ISTVÁN GERGELY to VLV:

- A reminder is set up in my phone, so throughout the rest of my life I will be „warned” every year that on this day, we have won the Olympics. What can I say, it was good to wake up to that... I will remember this forever, because it was a really-really beautiful experience. Since Beijing, I have been feeling a lot more balanced in more areas as well, but mostly in water polo. This may have had a roll in my election to team captain in my club. The Beijing Olympics was the most important water polo event in my life, it gave me a huge confidence boost and of course relief, that it is worth it to train a lot and work hard.  

NORBERT HOSNYÁNSZKY to VLV:

- The value of the success really is the same as it was back then. An Olympic victory changes the life of a player either in a negative or a positive way. I feel like mine has changed in a positive direction. The Beijing victory gave me confidence without which the game is difficult to play. I can always draw strength from the Olympic gold, whatever happens, I can reach back to this victory.

TAMÁS KÁSÁS to VLV:

- I'm not going to say anything really smart. Nothing has changed too much, our acknowledgment and „net worth” may have grown. And when they say our name, they add: „three-time Olympic champion” – since then we had time to „digest” it and of course it's very good to hear. What didn't change is motivation. To be honest these three golds didn't satisfy my hunger, I'm really in the mood to go on, especially now that I didn't play water polo all summer. I'm in the mood again to prove: I'm still capable of good performance. I miss training as well... So from this perspective, nothing has changed. It's really good to remember that it really is a fantastic feeling, looking back what we have won the three Olympics altogether, we did that, it's good to think back…

GÁBOR KIS to VLV:

- Memories of the Olympics and the many experiences from Beijing pop into my mind a lot, several times a week. I like to remember and when I found out it was the one year anniversary of the finals, it was especially good to think back. I didn't celebrate the anniversary separately, I think my career still has a lot in it and I would like to achieve similar successes.

GERGELY KISS to VLV:

- I'm the kind who, when asked about one of the finals, thinks particularly about the fantastic game of joy in Sydney, or the horror-drama in Athens, or the obligatory victory in Beijing as an accomplished task, but the Olympics as a whole and the road we needed to take to get there. I can hardly recall the events of a match. If I have to do so now, I think the thing I remember the most is that I was in a euphoric state even during it. The Americans were on us throughout, but I felt it: they can't stand in our way by giving their best as sportsmen. No matter how close they were, we were sure to break off. Somehow the whole team felt like that and maybe this is why we managed to win with four goals in the end. During the break we looked out to the viewers area where we saw a red-white-green forest of flags and that gave us additional strength, a Hungarian team in such an atmosphere can't possibly be beaten by the Americans. We have spent the last two or three minutes in the water knowing we have won. Looking back now I value the fact the most that after two Olympic golds, the stakes were high for us and yet we could remain calm even after the tight standing at half time. We didn't get nervous, didn't panic, didn't start rushing, we didn't care about the past, the many silver medals or the outcome that was expected of us, we concentrated on the game and nothing else, only focused on defeating the American team in the given four times eight minutes.

NORBERT MADARAS to VLV:

- It's still good, after a year to remember the Beijing finals, in my eyes the value of that victory has only risen since. A success like that may give confidence, you can always get strength from it and that is very important. Looking back as a professional: „professionally done”, those two weeks were! We did anything as we needed to and things went as planned. (I'd like to send word to Tibi Benedek that I'm interested in the dowry, that is what will decide everything!)  

TAMÁS MOLNÁR to VLV: 

- Even after a year, we still consider this to be a huge success. My life has been just how I planned it since then. I have turned down my spot in the national team and have experienced the time since then as I imagined: my choice seems to have been nicely made and not because the boys only placed fifth in Rome. I think that the value of the silver medals won between Athens and Beijing is raised by that fifth place, which was accomplished by the boys without being beaten by anyone during the normal playtime and had a match against the world champion that even the Hungarians could have won. This is what it depends on from the 1st to 5th place. This is incalculable and the fact that we have always played in the finals from Athens to Beijing, looking back now, is a huge thing! And that I could finish with an Olympic gold is the icing on the cake, it crowned the whole thing. And I think I couldn't have finished it in a more beautiful way. 

ZOLTÁN SZÉCSI to VLV:

- It's good that you mention it, I was thinking about it the day before yesterday, but if you didn't call, I would have forgotten to open the champagne! I think that the appreciation of our victory in Beijing is in its place, as it always was. And now we're looking forward, in fact, we have been training since the 1st of January. The gold medal from last year is a good memory, we're happy about it, but we want more memories like this three years from now… 

- How are you, how is your knee healing after the surgery? 

- I'm getting better, I will start the wet training two weeks from now, I'm going to be in the gym until then.  

DÁNIEL VARGA to VLV: 

- In the past year there hasn't been a single day during which I have not remembered the Beijing victory for some reason. Either because of someone asking about it or a good memory popping up while talking with friends and family and these were always nice. But I have felt the other side of this nostalgia too, the future will ferociously call me to account on whatever I have done or not done in the present.

DÉNES VARGA to VLV:

- I'm on holidays in Malta at the moment and I have received numerous text messages from family members in which they remind me of the anniversary. The Olympics are a really good thing to remember for me too, but I'm not really moved by the fact that it was exactly one year ago that we have won. I was out on Gozo, a small island near Malta with my friend Péter Szabó who plays in the Maltese championship and shared some memories when he asked. So I did my share of nostalgia too lately, but the fact that we have won the finals a year ago does not mean anything special to me.

TAMÁS VARGA to VLV:

- This second Olympic victory meant especially lot to me. I haven't been in the national team for three years after Athens, and I hungered for success and play in the national team last summer. It was special for me in other aspects as well, because I had to learn to play in a whole different way in this team. I'm very happy to this day that after Athens at the age of 33 I could: still make it to the top.