Andreas: Welcome to this podcast. Water Polo Expert Talk. Get the insights.

Andreas: And maybe when you have a to attend the Olympic Games at least several times, then you have also the chance to meet some of these people you mentioned right now. So what was it for you to attend the Olympic Games maybe then the first time? Because other podcast guests also give us the information, okay, it's really overwhelmed and you are not really... At least for the first time, not really able to focus yourself on your sport and your own performance. So it's culture, it's a different country, so many stars running around. So how was it for you, maybe the first time coming to the Olympic Games? My steps to be successful were very interesting because I played my first national team game and under 14 national team. And then under 16, we won the... first big gold medal after some tournaments, gold medals, and finally the European Championships. Came and we won, of course, let's say. This was a very strong generation. And then to play in the senior national team with the big stars, it was just awesome. I was a high school student and I could play the first game. I was the youngest in history at the time, whoever played in the national team. And then we started to win with the senior team when I was 1920, when I was really the member of the team from 97 to 2000. And to go to be an Olympian, to have the registration, to fly over to Australia, to step into the Olympic Village in Sydney, it was just like a Disney fairy tale. I cannot believe I'm here. It was like different air, different smells. Like I cannot believe I'm here. It's not true. It cannot be true. can see swimmers, basketball players, soccer players, fencing champions, wrestlers, karate, I don't know who, lot of athletes. It was beautiful. And after a few days of joy and trainings, we started to think that this is the Olympic Championships where we want to have the gold medal, not we are tourists. Some of the Olympians are just happy to be a participant.

Andreas: just to be in the Olympic games and they don't really care the result. If they are number 25 or number 28 in the end, they are happy. They are satisfied that their goal came true, their aim came true. We wanted to be Olympians, but first of all, champions. So we were like soldiers in this way of thinking that, okay, we are here, happy, nice, okay. Let's do it. Take my beer, take my beer and I go to fight. Yeah. So are there any, any... Let's say big difference when you joined it the first time and then the second and then the third time in a row. So because there are not so many people who are really reaching these kinds of title, at least also in other sports, three times in a row. Yeah. So are there any difference where you say, okay, I'm here the third time. It's let's say not so impressive and the air smells not so different today like the first time. Yes, there is a big difference. think the first time you are in love is different. think it's something very strange, very special, very unique. When you get your first salary for your first money, then different than after five months or six months. When you are in the first big competition in your life, it's great. Imagine an actor to be a part of the first big movie in their life. The first big, big movie is different to this. number six or number 10 movie in their life. It's a normal feelings, normal chemistry, blood in our mind. So it was very unique at the beginning. I was very, very happy at the second, third and the fourth Olympic championships also to be participated. But the first one was where am I, who am I, what is this, what is that? my God, my God, beautiful, beautiful, nice, nice, interesting, interesting. The first few days were like really a dream. Yeah, it sounds like a crazy roller coaster. Yeah. So at least for the first time then. Yeah. What are your or do you have any special memories from the first time or from the second or third or fourth time? Are there any special things you say, okay, this is my special, let's say moment of these games. About meeting other champions. It was also beautiful to see Rafael Nadal, see Leonel Messi at a very young age.

Andreas: to speak two minutes with Kobe Bryant, to have different pictures with the different big champions. It was very nice. For me, the very unique feeling when I felt somehow my religion being stronger than me, like God. Being a big champion from other sports and big names and other than being happy to be a part of the Olympic community. big faith was in the Olympic flame. It was like being closer to God or something. I don't go to church every Sunday or these formal things, but I think that there is something stronger than me, stronger than us, which helps us to be successful or to be happy or to be strong or to be good people. And for me to see every day the Olympic flame as we went from the Olympic Village to the swimming pool. We had like sometimes 20, 25 minutes of bus ride. And during this bus ride, where we could see the Olympic Stadium close or far away, depends on it was Sydney or Athens or Beijing, China or London. and I was on every time I was focusing on the flame and that this is the Olympic flame, this is the power, this is the most important sign of an athlete in the car. is not stronger, less stronger sign or logo or something like a flame, the power, the strength of the flame. And I was like under this feeling. I was very strong after these few seconds of being with myself and The only games where I could not see the flame during the whole Olympics was London. We won three gold medals, three places, I saw the flame only in London, and we couldn't win. So we have the solution or the answer for that. Yeah, and also that was the oldest team in London out of the four Olympic Games.

Andreas: It's of course about our recent form, physical and mental forms that we were not as strong as earlier for sure. But there was also this thing. There is also this thing with the Olympic flame. Yeah. And when you mentioned also during the Olympic games in 2004 in Athens, so you are also able to go to the MVP trophy or? named MVP of the men's water polo tournament and also part of the Olympic team, let's say it that way. Yeah. The All-Star team. What makes it with somebody like you to say, okay, I'm the MVP of the men's water polo tournament of the Olympic games here right now. So it's also something special for you, right? Yeah. You know, my father worked in a factory and my mother was a housekeeper. in houses and hotels and this little boy became a national team player representing the country and then winning gold medals. Beautiful. Have these individual trophies is very nice but we were strong team because we didn't care about the best player trophy or the best goal scorer or the best goalkeeper trophies. We wanted one thing, this is the gold medal. We wanted the gold medal. You can have all the other trophies, individual trophies, other teams. won the gold medal. That's why we were strong mentally because we wanted to be united all the time. We went to dinner together in the Olympic Village, blah, blah, blah. So we spent the most time together as a team, more than any other teams for sure. And being an MVP is beautiful. Scoring the winning goal in the finals, beautiful, yes. very nice, but in the end, the gold medal is the thing and to step up to the first place on the podium, that's the nicest feeling ever. After you have a child birth, after this feeling as a parent, as a mother or father, this is the most beautiful thing for me to be an Olympic champion, to step up to the podium. And that year was very impressive with my club, with my

Andreas: We won the Champions League, we won the Super Cup, we won the World Cup the Olympic Games. So I had five or six gold medals in my year and also the MVP. Being, I was like 26 years old and 11 months, 26 years and 11 months old. And I think it, was my top form. Like I had routine, but I was still quite young, not old. Physically I had the most muscles in kilograms or percentage ever. had my self-esteem. had the will. I had very good teammates. So it was a very unique year, 2004. Yeah. Maybe. Just coming some more minutes regarding the actual situation. Yeah. So you are not any more traveling to the Olympic Games as an athlete. What are you doing today? So just to have a focus or some ideas about your work and your influence maybe also today in the Hungarian water polo community. Yeah. I finished my national team career at the age of 35 after the London fifth place, which was a big delusion for us. And I continued to play in the first division in Hungary in the professional league, I played, I had an agreement with my old team. I went back that I can build up my civil life. I attend trainings. I attend to trainings as a professional player, but I got a very little salary and I am doing my other stuff. If there is an important meeting, I can miss some morning training or something. So we had this agreement and I could play in this third division team in Homewood for more years and I could build up my career. I became a spokesman of a civil organization which is promoting sport. We want more more Hungarian not to sit home after work, but doing sport. And I am the communication guy of this civil organization.

Andreas: And then there were different projects. became kind of influencer in sports, some companies, big companies also found me to do promotion and I do motivational speeches for companies. Actually, after this program, I will go for a motivational speech. And five years ago in my neighborhood, there were built a new swimming pool, which I was projected to, to create the water polo life here. Finally, this swimming pool was built five years ago and we could start water polo. And I am the sports director of the boys water polo section. And we are building quite nice structure. We have now 12 teams, over 200 athletes. So it's nice and I'm happy to do this. It's a lot of bureaucracy and office work, which is not my work. It's not my style. I like the action. I like, like meetings and I like water polo and actions, not sitting in in an office. But sometimes I had to do that. I stepped into the movie factory 10 years ago. We made two documentary movies about two Hungarian athletes from the early 20th century. They were big champions with very, special backgrounds. One of them was a Jewish fencing champion. Being Jewish in the world of fencing, when there were all military soldiers at the Habsburg kingdom, big soldiers and selfish people and rich people. And this small Jewish guy won four Olympic games in front of these big guys. It was a very strange and very special story of him. Yann Fuchs and then the other story was about a water polo player and swimming champion who lost his leg under the under the knees when he was 10 years old and he started to swim and without this half leg he could win 32-36 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and in Berlin with the team and also 1500 freestyle at the European Championships in Paris.

Andreas: His story is great. His story is great. And he was killed. He was killed by Russian soldiers after the second world war in the streets one night at a very young age. He was like 37, 38 and he was killed. So these two stories were very interesting. We made documentary movies. I became kind of producer to collect money, to meet people, to set the locations and stuff. So. It was nice. And there was one more step in the movie field that our friend that is a producer, a very good producer in Hungary. made this, Tomas, he made a movie about our successes. This is the logo of our movie and brand. And it became the most successful documentary movie in the Hungarian cinemas ever. And we are very happy that we have this two and a half hours long and interesting documentary movie about our generation. What I was telling you. or the players are speaking in the movie together with international water polo stars. And I was a assistant, to this producer. So I worked again in the movie field. it's a nice. Sideway, sideway, an interesting, interesting, experience, it's finished. Yeah. that, that, every time related to sports, right? Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So then the next logical. move would be after hearing the podcast, downloading or searching for the documentary. Yeah. And we have also the mini series, seven parts. They made also a mini series from the film and it's double as long as the documentary. So we speak more about our sexes. There are more actions also. We put some training videos. So it's interesting. Yeah. So it's up to everybody then to. to see the documentary as the next step. Yes. Good. So at the end, I have five questions for you, which is the usual quick fire part at the end of each podcast. So question number one would be one word that describes your career the best. Working. Maybe two words. Working hard. Working hard. and dedication. The toughest opponent. One player or one team?

Andreas: Let's say one team would be easier, I Of course, everybody is remembering the Serbian-Hungarian rivalry. We played a lot of finals together. yeah, national team, Hungary and Serbia. Okay. Your favorite teammate? I cannot say one. I cannot say one. I knew everybody's weak sides and strong sides. I loved everybody. Yeah. could understand. Based on your... story I can imagine that favorite Olympic city favorite Olympic city Sydney city okay and last one what makes a great team for you great teams are based on great team members not on big individuals if you see the story of Paris Saint-Germain the story of Paris Saint-Germain tells everything without Messi without Mbappe without Neymar and Sergio Ramos they want the Champions League. Not always the big players are making big teams, but the best team cooperation. Perfect. It's a perfect ending, I would say, at least. Thanks for joining today. Thank you too. I hope it was also somehow interesting for you. Yes, thank you. It was nice. Good. Have a good day and thanks for joining. Thank you. Have a good day. Ciao.