Medenis on beating Romania: "Feelings are indescribable"

Latvia's men's national volleyball team began its European Championship campaign with a strong 3-1 victory over host nation Romania on Wednesday evening. Afterward, 25-year-old middle blocker Jānis Medenis, playing in his first European Championship, shared an emotional reaction to the win.

Medenis scored 12 points in the match, making him the second-most productive player for Latvia, behind only team captain Kristaps Šmits. The player has close ties to Romanian volleyball: last season he played for Bucharest's Dinamo, and next season he will continue his career in Romania with Universitatea Craiova.

An emotional win after a break

Medenis described the feeling of his first European Championship win as indescribable, especially after taking a break from the sport in July. He said one should never give up, but avoiding burnout is equally important. Reflecting on the match itself, he noted that nervousness was evident on both sides since it was the tournament's opening game, and that Latvia's errors in the second set disrupted the team's rhythm. He thanked his teammates and the fans for their support.

Four matches still to come

Medenis admitted that he had nothing left after the match, having given everything on the court. Latvia's next game is scheduled for September 11 against Germany, and he stressed the need to recover quickly before then. Discussing the atmosphere at the opening match, he said he had expected a fuller arena but was pleased with the strong turnout of Latvian fans, encouraging more supporters to travel to Romania for upcoming games.

In the group stage, Latvia will face Germany on Friday, France on Sunday, and finish the group phase against Switzerland and Turkey.