Team Germany: the 2018 Team award is a great way to promote our sport and to feel respected

Given their dominance in the sport, it’s quite surprising that the men’s German canoe polo team last year won their first World Champion title ever in the 24-year history of Canoe Polo World Championships. More surprising perhaps, is the fact that they pulled out the win in the midst of intense emotional turmoil following the sudden death of teammate Fiete Junge on the eve of the competition.

Team Captain Jonas [pictured below] about winning the 2018 Team of the Year award:

"The Award means a lot to the Team. It completes the „Awards“ or recognition for the Team for the hard work of the last years, where we were kind of often unlucky in the finals of the big tournaments. It is a great way to promote our sport and to feel appreciated and respected."

Congratulations from Bjorn Zirotzki, Birka Rusch and Maike Schellert for Team German with winning the 2018 Team of the Year award.

We ask Jonas who was - besides their own team - his favourite team amongst the other nominees and why?
"I thought that the most votes would be gained by Team Outer Harbour Warriors from Canada because they have a big community behind them. But by sympathy my favourite was the Team from Tahiti. I think that they would have been also a Team that deserves the recognition and it would be a great achievement for them."

The Germans immediately dedicated the win to Fiete, a 26-year-old law student struck down by meningitis shortly before the championships. Jonas:

"Fiete will alway be part of the Team and everybody of the Team will remember him for the rest of their lives as a great personality, a friend, a great and fair sportsman. He had a personality you will not forget. And probably every member of the Team will think about him at all the upcoming competitions and it will probably also motivate everyone like it did in Canada."

Who would you and the team would like to thank Jonas?
I guess first of all I or the Team would thank our Trainer Björn Zirotzki for coming back as a trainer and form a Team to win the world Champs. I think there would not have been a better person for that job. Then there is especially Birka Rusch, who organizes everything for Team Germany canoe polo. She is busy the whole season by organising accommodations, flights to Canada last year, how to get the boats to Canada, visit the Team leader Meetings and present the Team on all tournaments. And a variety of more challenges she manages for us so we can concentrate on our sport. Our physiotherapist Maike Schellert, who now accompanies our Team since 2014 and does a great job. And of course all the families, friends and fans who support us during the whole season and even came to canada to support us.

Thanks to everyone who supported us on our way to the title and to everyone who voted for us.

Profile Team Germany Canoe Polo

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