Tomasz Fornal shared his biggest lesson from Poland's bronze medal campaign at the 2025 FIVB Men's World Championship.
A bronze medal finish in the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship was far from the expectations set by Tomasz Fornal and Poland.
Coming in as the world's no. 1 team and fresh off a VNL 2025 title win, Poland was left frustrated after moving down one spot on the World Championship podium.
Fornal quickly shared that the team was left wanting more even after they received their bronze medals.
“For sure, it's good that we finished the tournament with some kind of medals, so for sure it's good for us, but we expect something more,” said Fornal. “We have to sleep a few nights, and for sure it will be like a small success for us.”
[ALSO READ: Wilfredo Leon still unhappy after Poland's bronze finish: 'I prepare myself always to win tournaments']
Bouncing back after semis sweep
Coming off a stinging loss to defending champion Italy in the semifinals, the 28-year-old spiker admitted that the team struggled not to dwell too much on the past game.
Tomasz Fornal spikes the ball during Poland's bronze medal match against Czechia. | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
While Poland looked dominant in the beginning, Czechia managed to make the world no. 1 sweat in the bronze medal match. But eventually, the Poles finished the match in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21.
“I think we were a little bit nervous from the beginning to the end. After yesterday's loss it's not easy to clear the mind and come back easy like nothing happened,” said Fornal.
“We were fighting, we gave everything what we had, and the most important is that we finished and we won 3-1.”
What went wrong?
While the top-ranked team wouldn’t like to make an excuse, Poland definitely struggled with injuries to the team's top stars.
Fornal dealt with a back injury, which forced him to miss a couple of matches in the tournament. Team captain Bartosz Kurek sat out the semifinals and bronze medal match due to a back injury as well.
[ALSO READ: Why was Tomasz Fornal wearing a libero jersey during Poland's FIVB Worlds quarterfinal match?]
That’s why Fornal’s biggest lesson for this tournament is simple and sweet.
“To avoid injuries,” he said.
Poland will now look towards another redemption bid as it hosts the 2027 FIVB Men’s World Championship.
—
Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.