The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1407083
"Before, I wasn't as smart, didn't know as much, and what I did was I grinded hard, hard, hard for the Olympics, and by the time I got there I was really burnt out. This time around, it was a very different system, a different way that I controlled the energy." His successes entering Tokyo started to pile up. He won the 10-meter air rifle com- petition at the 2019 Pan American Games. Then at the World Cup in New Delhi, India, earlier this year, Kozeniesky took first place again in the same event. Walking into the Tokyo opening ceremo- nies was a far different experience than Rio. No spectators meant a quiet arena, but Koze- niesky insisted he was not underwhelmed. "I definitely felt similarly to how I walked through in Rio, but I felt a lot more focused — like I am here to do a job," he said. That started with the 10-meter air rifle event, where through qualifications only a performance by China's Haoran Yang pre- vented Kozeniesky from setting an Olympic record. In the finals, Kozeniesky acknowl- edged he made some mistakes that he could not take back, resulting in a sixth-place finish, but he had no regrets. "I am very happy with how that went, and I genuinely gave it my all," he said. Then came the mixed team event, where Kozeniesky's strong first round allowed Tucker and him to advance to the second, and then Tucker carried Kozeniesky in round two through a slow start to clinch a spot into the gold medal match. Kozeniesky has made his living in Col- orado Springs since leaving NC State in 2017. It was a hectic return home for him. He estimated, without exaggeration, that he had 1,000 messages in various forms to sort through, occupying much of his time since returning to the States. He's also aiming for more, specifically Paris in 2024. That was a decision made be- fore Tucker and he even started competing together in Tokyo. "I came off the line in sixth place in the individual match, and I made up my mind I am going to come back again," Kozeniesky said. ■ NC State Was Well Represented At Tokyo Olympics NC State second-year volleyball coach Luka Slabe had some gold to show off to his team. Slabe was an assistant coach on Team USA's women's volleyball squad that captured the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil (3-0) on the final day of the Tokyo Olympics. And in a development that highlights the promising immediate future for the men's swimming pro- gram, incoming recruit Noe Ponti from Switzerland won a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly. The 20-year-old was a semifinalist in the 200-meter butterfly as well. Ponti also helped the Swiss 800 free relay team finish sixth. Here is a rundown of how the others from the Wolfpack did in Tokyo: • Former NC State swimmer Simonas Bilis was supposed to swim anchor for Lithuania on the 4x100 medley relay, but his team was disqualified for jumping too early on its first exchange. • Former Wolfpack track star Gabriele Cunningham made it to the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, where she finished in seventh place with a time of 13.01 seconds, less than a half-second away from the bronze finisher. • Former softball player Tatyana Forbes played in all but one game for Mexico, primarily in left field but also as a pinch runner and centerfielder. Mexico had a chance to medal but fell 3-2 to Canada in the bronze medal contest. • Swimmer Sophie Hansson, coming off NCAA titles in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke races at NC State, represented Sweden in both versions of the event. She advanced to the 100-meter finals and was a medal contender but finished sixth. • Former swimmer and NCAA title-winner Anton Ipsen represented his native Denmark in both the 800 and 1500 freestyle distance races, but he did not advance out of either of his heats. • Swimmer Nyls Korstanje used an Olympic redshirt this past year at NC State to focus on representing the Netherlands. Korstanje advanced to the 100 butterfly semifinals, where he finished sixth in the same race in which Ponti was second. Korstanje also helped his 4x100 medley relay team finish sixth. • Like Korstanje, swimmer Alexander Norgaard from Denmark focused on the Olympics this year rather than compete for NC State. Norgaard was expected to be a top freshman on the team this past year. Norgaard swam with countryman Ipsen in both the 800- and the 1500-meter freestyles, but he failed to advance out of either race despite finishing fourth in his heat in the 800. • Swimmer Andrea Podmanikova was part of a strong group of female breast - stroke performers for NC State this year, earning All-America honors in both the 100 and 200. She represented Slovakia in both races but did not advance out of her heats. • Swimmer Kacper Stokowski nearly won the 100 backstroke at the 2021 NCAA Championships, coming in second in his debut season with NC State after transfer - ring in from Florida. Swimming for Poland in the Olympics, he decisively won his heat in the 100 backstroke but did not advance to the semifinals. He also swam on Poland's 4x100 medley relay team, which finished sixth in its semifinals heat. • Former two-time 200-yard butterfly NCAA champion Andreas Vazaios participated in his third Olym- pics for Greece, swimming in the 200 IM, but did not advance out of his heat. He also swam on Greece's 4x100 freestyle and 4x100 medley relays, but neither reached the finals. — Matt Carter NC State volleyball head coach Luka Slabe was an assistant coach on Team USA's women's volleyball squad that captured the country's first- ever Olympic gold medal. PHOTO COURTESY SLABE VIA TWITTER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 ■ 47