Jakub Kochanowski shows off his ball-handling skills
Brno, Czech Republic, June 26, 2017 – The squad representing Poland at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship in the Czech Republic has been playing together for four years in the same composition and in this period has been able to win a number of gold medals at the highest level – the U19 World Championship in 2015, the U20 European Championship in 2016, the U19 European Championship in 2015 and the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2015 – proving to be the world’s best in this generation. A great team usually comes with a great leader and this case is no exception as Poland’s captain
Jakub Kochanowski has been instrumental to his team’s success.
Jakub started his volleyball career in Olsztyn, the city where he plays now as well – with the Indykpol AZS Olsztyn men’s team. His mother is a volleyball coach, so it is no accident that Kuba got into the sport. “She convinced me to start playing volleyball,” he says. “She attends and watches my matches and is happy that I am continuing the family business.”
Jakub Kochanowski has been an integral part of the national team that won so many gold medals. He also has a silver medal from the 2014 CEV U20 European Championship in Brno. Although back then he was one of the team’s youngest players, as the competition unfolded he earned his place in the starting line-up and made his solid contribution in Poland’s quest to the final.
Back in Brno, the main venue of the current U21 World Championship, almost three years later, for Kochanowski and the team he is now captaining a silver medal is not even an option. After so many titles, the second place would be a step down. The White-and-Reds went through their three matches in Pool A without losing a single set. In addition to his team leadership skills, Jakub contributed a total of 23 points (19 spikes and 4 blocks). “We did not play as well as we should play against the best teams, but we won everything until now and this is a good start,” he comments.
“I hope we will focus better and improve our skills for the matches ahead of us, because we will be playing against the best teams at this tournament and, of course, we want to crown these four years that we spent together as a team with the U21 World Championship title,” the 199-cm-tall middle blocker adds.
For the next club season, Jakub, who will turn 20 in July, is expected to re-join his team in Olzstyn, with which he finished fifth in the Polish PlusLiga last season. But what is he going to do immediately after the end of the World Championship in Brno? “I will sleep! And when I cannot sleep, I will watch movies and play video games,” the captain concludes with a smile.