The team of Soviet Union, bronze winner
in Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games. Top row L-R: Eduard Egorov, Head coach, Andrei
Yulevich Kistyakovsky, Leonid Osipov, Coach Evgeny Semenov, Nikolai Kuznetsov,
President of the Water Polo Federation of the USSR Vitali Smirnov, Boris Popov,
Vladimir Semenov; Bottom L-R: Boris Grishin, Igor Grabowski, Zenon Bortkiewicz,
Vladimir Kuznetsov, Nikolai Kalashnikov, Victor Ageev, P. Ivanov (translator).
In Tokyo the two favorites were Hungary and Yugoslavia
who had been first and second respectively in Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne
(1956), and in Rome (1960) have been placed 3-4 behind Italy and the Soviet
Union. Those same four teams went through the preliminary round in Tokyo by
winning their groups. All four of the favorites also advanced through the
semi-final groups, with Russia ranked first ahead of Italy in their group. In
the other group Hungary and Yugoslavia won one match each, had one win carried
over, and when they met, they tied 4-4, with Hungary winning the pool by goal
differential. In the final round, Hungary and Yugoslavia would not meet their
match score carrying over from the semi-finals. Hungary defeated Italy 3-1, and
the Soviet Union 5-2, while Yugoslavia defeated the Soviets 2-0, and Italy 2-1.
This gave Hungary the gold medal by goal differential in the final round, with
Yugoslavia second and the Soviets winning bronze. These same four teams had
finished 1-4 at the last three Olympic Games (1956-64).
Source: Russian Amateur Waterpolo League
(www.facebook.com/ruswaterpolo)
