Hungarian men’s water polo team hope to take first steps towards LA 2028 Olympic gold in Singapore

SINGAPORE – As a seven-year-old in Budapest, Krisztian Manhercz, like many of his peers, was captivated by the Hungarian water polo team who returned home with their eighth Olympic gold medal from the 2004 Athens Games.

Inspired by the feat of the most successful men’s water polo team at the Olympics, Manhercz began to work towards the dream of one day leading his country to the gold medal on the biggest stage.

His recent promotion to captain of the national team meant the 28-year-old has fulfilled part of that childhood dream.

Next, he is working towards the ultimate goal of winning a gold medal of his own.

With the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Singapore marking the start of the Olympic cycle leading to Los Angeles 2028, Manhercz hopes the first steps towards reclaiming the throne atop the water polo world will be taken in the Republic.

Hungary, the 2023 world champions, are among the 16 teams vying for the world crown at the OCBC Aquatic Centre from July 11 to 24. The women’s tournament kicks off on July 11 followed by the men a day later.

Speaking to The Straits Times at a meet-and-greet session on July 9 at the Chinese Swimming Club organised by the Hungarian Embassy in Singapore, Manhercz, a crowd favourite among youngsters from the club, shared his perspective on Hungarian water polo culture.

“If you ask any water polo player aged 10 or under (in Hungary), what their goal in water polo is, everybody will say that it is to win an Olympic gold.”

“So I really hope that I will have the chance to win a gold medal. I’m really hoping and working for that, that I will have a chance to represent Hungary, in Los Angeles, and be a part of the team, and also to have a great result there.

“Singapore is the first step to building something, and it is very important. We would like to achieve something here.”

Since the introduction of the sport at the Olympic Games in 1900, Hungary had reigned supreme – with their first title in Los Angeles in 1932. They are the most successful country in the men’s event, with nine Olympic gold medals, a haul that includes the three in a row from 2000 to 2008.

But that era of dominance has fizzled out. Since 2008, they have won only a bronze from the 2020 edition in Tokyo, while rivals Serbia have taken the gold in the last three editions.

At the Paris Games last August, Hungary were fourth.

Manhercz, who was part of the team at the last three editions of the Olympics, attributed Hungary’s slide to the emergence of stronger rivals.

His coach Zsolt Varga, a member of the victorious 2000 Olympics squad as a player, agreed with his captain’s assessment.

Varga, who took over the role in 2022, said: “Everybody changed a lot – Spain, Italy, the United States, Australia. Everybody now is playing at a high level, and that’s why it is not so easy now. It was never easy, but I think now it’s harder.”

He added that his focus now is on bringing through a new generation, as he builds towards an Olympic gold tilt in 2028. The immediate focus in Singapore is to contend to be world champions again, and he expects stiff challenges from Spain, Italy, Serbia and Croatia.

His 15-man Singapore squad includes just seven players from the Paris Games.

Varga said: “I think the last 20 years in Hungarian water polo, we didn’t change a lot of the young players. Now is the moment that we have to change... and I started this process last year. We have to build up the new team for Los Angeles and for the future. This (Singapore) is the first step.”

Hungary will open their Group B campaign against Australia on July 12, followed by the match with Japan on July 14 and Spain two days later.