Poland had mixed emotions after securing its first-ever bronze medal in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, falling short of reclaiming glory following a semifinal loss to its longtime tormentor, Italy.
On Sunday, Wilfredo Leon powered Poland with 26 points in a 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory over Czechia before 6,535 fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Leon admitted the bronze medal felt “special and not special” at the same time but vowed to come back stronger when Poland hosts the 2027 World Championship.
“For sure, I will be very motivated. Especially since we will be in Poland. I hope I will have another opportunity to show up one more time myself,” said Leon. “Hopefully, with more experience. When I say experience, it was more about what was happening yesterday. In the semifinal, we were up against a team that is with us at the top. We were providing every set by 3 to 4 points. We lost this distance. This is something we need to study.”
Despite the disappointment of not reaching the final, Leon cherished the experience of playing in front of the passionate Philippine volleyball community.
“The experience here is always very good for me. Like I said, I love it because we have nice weather. The people are cheering for us. The fans are alright. And I cannot wait to see the next tournament here,” he said.
Kamil Semeniuk, who scored six points in just two sets, also reflected on the team’s campaign and accepted their third-place finish with optimism.
“Maybe for now we still are a little bit sad about yesterday, that we didn't go to the final. It was our objective in this tournament, but I think after a few days, when we're back home, when we also start the season in the club, for sure we will be proud of this medal,” said Semeniuk. “Because a medal is a medal. After a long tournament like this World Championship for us, it's always good to go back home with something on the neck.”
Semeniuk also looked forward to competing in front of their home crowd in 2027, after enjoying his stay in Manila.
“It's good news for us. We don't have to go on a long trip like we do in the Philippines. Obviously, it was really nice here, with good fans all the time,” he said. “But it's always good to play in your country with your fans, so we for sure are happy.”
“But it's the future. Now we have a season in the club, then next season in the national team, then next tournament, so step by step we will be focused on the new objective,” he added.
Semeniuk also expressed gratitude to their loyal Polish supporters who followed them all the way to Manila.
“It's crazy, it's crazy that our friends from Poland are everywhere in the world. It's an advantage for us all the time, like we have some people in the hall to support us, so thank you very much that you spent your time, you spent your money to come here to support us,” he said. “Obviously, we want to win the gold medal, but sometimes you must lose, because it's the sport, it's volleyball. But in the end, we won the bronze, so it's nice.”
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