The finals of the Canoe Polo tournament at The World Games Chengdu 2025 saw the German men’s and women’s teams win their fourth gold medal at the multi-sport event.
Here is what the medal winners had to say.
Women
Nele Schmalenbach (GER): I can't believe it because it is the biggest tournament - The World Games. It is a dream come true. We shouldn't be too confident because it's not too good to fly too high, because the fall can be hard. We have the European Championships coming up, but it's very good to win here. It is a special win for Jill, who is my best friend. Her dad passed away after the last World Championships. It was a tough year for us as he was her biggest supporter. But she fought and came back and won. I am so proud of her.
Tania Dugdale (NZL): It was a hard game for us to come away like that, but it was so exciting to be in the final. They just came out strong and got those first couple of goals. It's always hard to come back from that. It's amazing for the girls because they have Europeans and all these competitions, while this was our first event of this level since the World Championships. So, it’s impressive to come away with a silver and I'm really proud.
Wendy Huizinga (NED): Earlier, we were quite bummed that we did not play our best in the semi-finals. So, we decided to give it our all, and I think we did, and we can be very proud of that. Last year, they beat us at the World Championships. So, we know that they are a good team and it's going to be tight, but we had a great game. I want to go back to my family and my friends back home, and after celebrating, we have the European Championships coming up. So, we just move on to that.
Men
Jonas Vieren (GER): This is the fourth time in a row now, and it's crazy. Of course, you also need some kind of luck, but I think the key was that we were there from the first minute and started really good and produced a strong defence just to maintain our lead. I'm so happy to play with this team and just thankful to be here.
Jan Erick Haack (ITA): It's hard to put into words. We gave our best, but in sports, you win or you lose. We are happy with how we went through the tournament, but of course, we wanted to win the gold medal. So we are disappointed.
Fergal McConvey (GBR): I'm just overwhelmed. We've been missing out on championships for the last three years in a row. To finally take it home, it's unbelievable. We've been right at the door again for three years. This whole setup, the value, The World Games is unbelievable. It is so hard on Kristian with the penalty. He is a good mate and a great player, but it's just one of those things. Congratulations to their team.
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