In Australia, two Charente-Maritimers become world champions in underwater hockey

V.SAnd in the summer, it wasn’t just the blues of the football team having the World Cup in Australia, but also the underwater hockey team! And they didn’t come back empty-handed. The Women’s Masters (+35 years) world title was held on the Gold Coast near Brisbane from July 23 to 31. Among them, Saintaise Cécile Cantoni: “It was great to participate already, so the dream is final to win the world title at home against Australia. »

Cécile isn’t the only one among the redoutables – that’s their nickname – there’s another Saintongeais in the person of Maximilien Haberzstrau, a coach already world champion in 2018. Already against Australia. “What we have achieved now is extraordinary, Saintais coach sums up. Because of Covid, we haven’t done anything for two years, we don’t know where we are going, we don’t know where we are going, it’s a big satisfaction! And the team is undefeated! In the semi-finals, the Redoutables faced another great underwater hockey nation. : New Zealand. “It’s a university game for them,” says Maximilian Haberstraw. Result: 5-3 and a ticket to the final against the host nation and defending champions…

V.SAnd in the summer, it wasn’t just the blues of the football team having the World Cup in Australia, but also the underwater hockey team! And they didn’t come back empty-handed. The Women’s Masters (+35 years) world title was held on the Gold Coast near Brisbane from July 23 to 31. Among them, Saintaise Cécile Cantoni: “It was great to participate already, so the dream is final to win the world title at home against Australia. »

Cécile isn’t the only one among the redoutables – that’s their nickname – there’s another Saintongeais in the person of Maximilien Haberzstrau, a coach already world champion in 2018. Already against Australia. “What we have achieved now is extraordinary, Saintais coach sums up. Because of Covid, we haven’t done anything for two years, we don’t know where we are going, we don’t know where we are going, it’s a big satisfaction! And the team is undefeated! In the semi-finals, the Redoutables faced another great underwater hockey nation. : New Zealand. “It’s a university game for them,” says Maximilian Haberstraw. Result: 5-3 and a ticket to the final against the host nation and current vice-champion…

Sacrifices

In the final, Sunday July 30, Clemens Cantoni and his 11 teammates won quickly and well from the whistle. “From the start we wanted to put a lot of pressure on them,” explains Les Bleus’ left winger. “We scored at the start of each half and then the Australians blocked us in the aisles. ” Goal achieved ! The performance is even more palatable when you know that half of the 12 selected have never played at a high level. “With Remy Honoré, we had to teach them the values ​​of winning, that they are not afraid to go there, continues Maximilien Haberzstrau, who takes the opportunity to thank his boss for authorizing him to go to the worlds. They made many sacrifices to get there. »

“The whole team was one and it felt underwater”

Clemens began his preparation a year before this international meeting. “I did five to six training sessions a week, along with running, CrossFit and swimming,” lists the 38-year-old business manager. On Maximilian’s advice, he applied for the French team. Mission successful. Internships follow each other, but so do competitions with his coaching club and heart, Saints Hockey Sub’. “I love swimming, it’s one of the rare team water sports,” says Clemens. Only in a team can I surpass myself. It was precisely this group unity, this collective strength, that marked the Redoutables’ campaign in the land of the kangaroos. “The whole team was together and it was felt under the water,” emphasizes the Saintais coach.

We also had to find funding to travel to the Southern Hemisphere. “This represents about 4,000 euros per player, says the 30-year-old. We were able to thank our sponsor GLHD, who followed us and helped us a lot to communicate. »

Platform Purpose

In total, five people from the Sainte-Tonche capital club traveled across the globe to take part in these worlds. Xavier Beaulieu, the captain of the national master team, Julien Remiguero and Damien Billoneau finished as vice world champions. Another great result. “It’s not bad, smiles Xavier Beaulieu. Although our team is young in experience, our goal is the podium. We are four of the 12 who have played internationally. “There, too, the spirit, the unity allowed these men to reach the final, beating New Zealand – “a terrible team” – to 1 2 goals.

In the final, the Blues meet the USA. “In the beginning we held on and then they put a lot of pressure on us,” says Xavier Beaulieu. After giving up one goal in the first period, the Blues picked up three more. Final score: 4-0. They still finish at 2^e Place. “Beyond the result, team life is extraordinary, every team is going to inspire the player,” maintained the 41-year-old captain.

5,000 licensees in France

Who had this crazy idea one day to invent underwater hockey? According to information gathered online, the game was invented by Alan Blake in 1954 near Portsmouth in the south of England. The latter attempted to resume the swimming action, somewhat at half-mast. At first real sticks and oxygen bottles, small sticks and snorkels quickly replaced them. The organization has 5,000 members and is dependent on the French Federation for Underwater Studies and Sports. Matches, six versus six, are played in two halves of fifteen minutes each. The chick weighs between 1 kg and 1.5 kg.