Kadziola helps Szalankiewicz net a belated birthday gift

Sochi, Russia, May 4, 2016 – There has been a lot of frustration for Jakub Szalankiewicz and Michal Kadziola the past 13 months on the FIVB World Tour, but a win here Wednesday over a young and upcoming team from Russia helped ease some of the irritation for the long-standing Polish pair.

With Szalankiewicz celebrating his 27th birthday Tuesday, the 2-0 (21-12, 21-17) win in 32 minutes over 17th-seeded Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin of Russia in an opening Pool A match in the men’s Sochi Open was a belated present as the pair has been hampered during the qualifying cycle for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by injuries and a family death.

BAD LUCK

“We have had a lot of bad luck the last year,” said Kadziola, who will celebrate his 27th birthday at the end of the month (May 28) when the FIVB World Tour visits the Russian capital for the Moscow Grand Slam (May 24-29).  “First, I miss four events (May 25-June 20, 2015) due to an ankle injury.  Then, I have to withdraw from the Rio Grand Slam this past March when my father passed away due to skin cancer.”

With Szalankiewicz also missing events due to a leg injury, the Polish pair fell behind compatriots Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak (No. 9, 4,780 points) and Grzegorz Fijalek/Mariusz Prudel (No. 11, 4,760) in the competition for berths in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where a maximum of two teams per country can compete.

“Yes, it is frustrating that we have not been at our best in a bid for a spot in the Olympics,” said Kadziola.  “That was our goal, but a lot of misfortune has been in our way.  We are happy …

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