Water polo tournament wraps up at FINA world masters championships in Kazan

Representatives of the +40 age group opened the competition programme of the closing day.  The bronze medal match saw Brazil’s Ampa Ecp and St. Petersburg Masters bring joy to spectators by showcasing a rain of goals, most of which were scored to the Russian team. The Latin American water polo players scored 11 goals while the hosts managed only 7. As a result, it's the Brazilian team that will take well-deserved gold medals home.

The final match in the above-mentioned age category came as real treat for all local die-hard water polo fans as both teams’ rosters featured an array of big-name water polo players that used to play in the USSR national team. The first team, USSR Masters Tatarstan, included Irek Zinnurov, Marat Zakirov and Nikolay Maksimov, while the opposing team, Russian Beavers, was led by their colleague, Sergey Garbuzov. However, as turns out it takes a team to win. As a result, the USSR Masters Tatarstan managed to post a narrow win, 9-7, against the Russian Beavers.

Water polo. Men.

+40 age group

Final: USSR Masters Tatarstan (RUS) vs. Russian Beavers (RUS) – 9-7

3rd place match: Рetersburg Masters (RUS) vs. AMPA ECP 40 (BRA) – 7-11

Burevestnik Swimming Pool. August 16

Gold medals in the +45 age group will go to Hungary. The Hungarian team remained unbeatable throughout the entire tournament and eventually topped the podium after winning the final match. In the first place match they managed to defeat Russia’s St-Petersburg Masters team.

The consolation match saw another loss of the Russian water polo team. Moldova’s Sportulrilor Imperial proved to be stronger than Russia’s Volga by beating them 9-13.

Water polo. Men.

+45 age group

Final: Vidám Vizilovak (HUN) vs. St-Petersburg Masters (RUS) – 6-4

3rd place match: VOLGA (RUS) vs. Sportulrilor Imperial (MDA) – 9-13

Burevestnik Swimming Pool. August 16

The only participants in the +55 age group faced off in a match to decide who will end up on the top of the podium with gold medals round their necks. Spain’s Real and Russia’s Neptun went up against each other for a fierce fight.

It took the Spanish team little time to get used to the pool and start dominating the game. By the end of the match their advantage was undoubted and the joy that took the Spanish team over after a final buzzer was so sincere that one could only rejoice for them. Neptun dropped the game, allowing Real win the match with 9-5. 

Water polo. Men.

+55 age group

Final: REAL CANOE N.C. (ESP) vs. Neptun A (RUS) – 9-5

Burevestnik Swimming Pool. August 16

Unfortunately, the closing day was also hardly lucky for Russia’s Neptun team in the maturer (+60 ) age group. The latter were beaten by their German counterparts from the Düsseldorfer SC 1898. It’s quite possible that they were driven towards the victory by the example of their compatriots from Cannstatt that had grabbed the third place in the bronze medal match an hour before.

Water polo. Men.

+60 age group

Final: Düsseldorfer SC 1898 (GER) vs. Neptun A (RUS) – 5-2

3rd place match: SV Cannstatt (GER) vs. EUROPA SPORTING ASS. (ITA) – 12-11

Burevestnik Swimming Pool. August 16

And finally, the competition programme ended with the only women’s match in which Russia’s Ugra team outshone a more experienced Italian team. However, as we’ve reported earlier, both teams will be awarded gold medals as only three clubs entered to compete in the women’s tournament and each of them represented a certain age group.

Water polo. Women.

+35, +40 age group.

Round robin: UGRA (RUS) vs. SISTEMI INTEGRATI (ITA) – 7-4

Burevestnik Swimming Pool. August 16