Iga Swiatek stays back at Paris Olympics, celebrates with Polish men’s volleyball team as they reach SF after 44 years
Iga Swiatek stays back at Paris Olympics, celebrates with Polish men’s volleyball team as they reach SF after 44 years
By
Aliasgar Ayaz
Modified Aug 05, 2024 15:26 GMT
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Iga Swiatek continues her stay in Paris after bagging the bronze medal in the women’s singles event at the Olympic Games. She celebrated with the Polish men’s volleyball team after their quarterfinal triumph over Slovenia on August 5.
Poland’s men’s volleyball team has exited the Olympic Games five consecutive times at the quarterfinal stage. They faced a crushing defeat against Italy in the final group game which led many to believe the top-ranked team would go down the same road for a sixth consecutive time.However, debutants Slovenia did not have the firepower to defeat the Polish stars. Poland won the match 3-1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-19, 25-20). The Polish team had a special guest who celebrated their historic win with them. Olympic bronze medalist Iga Swiatek joined Wilfredo Leon and co. for a celebratory picture.
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The WTA No. 1 also posted about the celebratory moment and wrote (translated from Polish):
“It was amazing! Thanks for letting me be there and celebrate with you for a moment. Keep doing your thing!”
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Poland reached the semifinal of the Olympics for the first time since 1980 in Moscow. They finished fourth that year.Their only other semifinal appearance was in 1976 in Montreal when they went all the way to win gold. In the 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal, Poland will take on the quarterfinal winner between the USA and Brazil.
Iga Swiatek’s bronze medal at the Paris Games is the first tennis medal for Poland at the Olympics
Iga Swiatek at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. (Image via Getty)
Iga Swiatek at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. (Image via Getty)
Iga Swiatek came into the Paris Olympics with a 21-match win streak at Roland Garros. She was a favorite to win the gold medal and was on her way until facing China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinal. Qinwen pulled off an incredible straight-sets win over Swiatek which left the Pole shattered.
However, the World No. 1 was determined in her performance in the bronze medal match against Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to win 6-2 6-1. She won Poland’s first-ever medal in tennis. In a post-match interview, Swiatek said:
“It’s amazing. Honestly, me and my sister were raised in this spirit that the Olympics are the most important tournament. That’s why it wasn’t the easiest tournament. This makes it even better.”
Tomasz Swiatek, Iga’s father, came seventh in rowing at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. She was pleased that her father had come to watch her play and win a medal.
“I’m proud of myself I could do it. I’m happy [my Dad] was here to see it. This is for sure a great place for me to be and play. I’m happy that besides Roland Garros titles, I could add another success to it,” Iga Swiatek added.
In the gold medal match, Zheng Qinwen defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic to win China’s first Olympic singles gold in tennis.
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Edition: English
