Great satisfaction with the Siena Uisp water polo at the UISP National Championships in Certaldo, which concluded on Sunday 23 June. The Under 18 team achieved a prestigious third placewhile theUnder 14, in her first participation, she placed fifth.
The U18 team, led by Marco Mancini supported by Antonio Burroni, after finishing second in a preliminary round, clearly won the final for third place against Vigor Perconti, winning the bronze medal.
“The result was the culmination of a year that developed exactly as I hoped, even exceeding the objectives set – comments coach Marco Mancini – This year we sat on the third step of the podium, confirming the continuity of the Under movement 18 in Siena. Many of these boys are ready to make the leap to the first team and I am sure that they will not disappoint expectations – underlines the coach – The younger ones still have a bit of a way to go, but the direction is the right one. The growth project of water polo in Siena is proceeding at full speed, thanks to the commitment of everyone, from the club to the youngest athletes – concludes Mancini.
Mancini’s words are confirmed by those of the U18 manager Francesco Marzucchi: “Back at the national top for the Under 18 category, after the excellent results of the past seasons. In Certaldo we met with organizations from all over Italy, receiving stimuli that helped our kids grow further. This bronze is a further piece in the mosaic of our project, which aims to grow the Sienese water polo movement at all levels.”
Those called up by Mister Mancini were: Pietro Cappelli (goalkeeper and captain), Filippo Marzucchi, Sergio Ricci, Francesco Belluardo, Milo Capra, Daniele Tomaselli, Diego Luchini, Giovanni Cheli, Pietro Marzucchi, Lorenzo Casini, Gabriele Grazzini, Thomas Piseddu (goalkeeper), Matteo Giudilli and Zeno Capra.
The Under 14 team, coached by Matteo Ianniello assisted by Diego Baldi, at his first participation in the UISP National Championships, obtained a fifth place that bodes well for the future. Mister Ianniello’s boys played eight games in two days, winning four and losing the others by a narrow margin.
“It was a wonderful experience which allowed the boys to play eight matches in two days and to compete with realities different from those of Tuscany – is the comment of the U14 coach Matteo Ianniello – The team has grown in the space of two days, bringing home four victories in a row on the second day. We end satisfied but with some regrets because with a little more attention on the first day we probably would have played for the most important positions.”
Siena U14 Water Polo
“It was the first time the U14 team participated in the national championships, an experience that allowed the boys to compete with teams from all over Italy – adds Davide Damiani, manager of the U14 team – Despite the higher expectations and some difficulties due to school exams, the team reached fifth place. We are still satisfied with the performance of the boys, who demonstrated competitiveness by losing matches by a minimum margin. It was a positive experience both on a sporting level and in terms of personal growth. We are confident for the future – concluded Damiani”.
The fifteen athletes called up by Mister Ianniello were: Pietro Donzelli (goalkeeper), Luca Cosco, Giovanni Damiani, Brieuc Lenne, Mattia Scarpelli, Leonardo Batazzi, Giulio Calvellini (captain), Alessandro Manganelli, Gabriele Strano, Walter De Serio, Jacque Louis Sabaly, Ettore Bossini, Vittorio Coccia (goalkeeper), Andrea Macaro and Leonardo Pieri.
The company would like to thank all those who contributed to the achievement of the results obtained, and in particular to the sponsors, who supported it throughout the season, without forgetting the parents of the athletes, who worked tirelessly for everyone’s well-being the participants in the three days of Certaldo.
The national youth water polo championships organized by UISP took place in the Fiammetta swimming pool in Certaldo, and saw the participation of 21 teams from the Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 categories, for a total of 400 athletes – coming from Piedmont, Liguria , Lazio, Tuscany and Abruzzo – who played a total of 66 matches.
