There is a first time for everything and it looks like Paris 2024 is the right time for Slovenia’s first appearance at the Olympic Games. At least that’s what’s on Rok Mozic’s mind ahead of the upcoming men’s FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers. Starting this Saturday, September 30, in Tokyo, the rising Slovenian star and his teammates will vie for one of the two tickets to next year’s Olympics from qualification Pool B in a challenging race with Egypt, Finland, Japan, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye and United States.
Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Rok Mozic pumped for more historic success
The rising star hopes to help bring Slovenia to first-ever Olympic participation
Published 10:36, 28 Sept 2023
- Watch the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers live on VBTV
“We have a tough group, for sure, but our goal is to go to the Olympic Games. A Slovenian volleyball team has never been there,” Rok Mozic told Volleyball World. “It will be tough. We know we lost to Japan in the quarterfinals of the VNL. We know how good America is. We know that Serbia has good qualities. It’s another important tournament for us, coming right after the European Championship, but we know our goal. It will not be easy, but we will do everything to achieve it and go to the Olympic Games.”
Rok Mozic is one of the young Slovenian players, who are a clear indication that his national team’s success over the past decade is not just a generational thing and will lead the team to more success even when those older players, now already with a legendary status in their country, who drove the squad from the small European nation to three silvers and a bronze within the last five editions of the men’s CEV European Championship and to the semifinals of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 2022 and Volleyball Nations League 2021, eventually stop competing.
Now 21 years of age, Rok became a fresh new addition to the senior national team in 2021 and in his very first season with the squad he helped Slovenia claim its third EuroVolley silver and make it among the best four of the VNL for the first time. The following year Mozic was a key player in another historic success for Slovenia, a fourth place at the World Championship. This season he was instrumental to yet another continental medal, bronze at EuroVolley 2023, where he also excelled as the best scorer of the tournament with a total of 152 points over nine matches, 18 points clear of the next best in the chart.
“I am happy that Slovenia achieved its fourth medal over the last five European Championships,” Mozic commented. “This is an indication that we are one of the best teams in the world.”
High-flying Rok Mozic on the serve during EuroVolley 2023 (source: cev.eu)
Slovenia’s participation in EuroVolley 2023 was also a clear indication how keen the team is to make it to Paris 2024. Knowing that there were no guarantees that they would qualify directly from the upcoming tournament in Japan and that there would be a second chance to make it through the FIVB World Ranking, they played at their max even in games that otherwise had no significance in terms of advancement at EuroVolley itself, but could bring in or take away valuable ranking points.
“We will try to do everything to go straight from these qualifiers, but still we know that we have other options and we need to think about every single game, because it is very important for the world ranking,” said Mozic.
“The Olympic dream is something special for every athlete,” he added. “You go for your country. I think it’s the most beautiful thing to sing your anthem when you win the gold medal. This is the best thing that an athlete can imagine. So this is my dream too for sure. It was my dream when I was young and I wanted to be a professional volleyball player.”
In the early years of his professional career, Rok was actually more successful as a Slovenian national team player in beach volleyball than he was indoors, although he was representing the country internationally in both disciplines.
In a partnership with Rok Bracko, Mozic earned two continental medals in the sand, a 2019 CEV U18 European Championship silver and a 2021 CEV U20 European Championship gold. He also represented Slovenia at the 2019 FIVB U21 World Championship, where he and Crtomir Bosnjak reached the quarterfinals.
Now the 2.00m-tall striker is completely focused on indoor volleyball. His professional club career started from Slovenia’s Merkur Maribor, but after they won the national championship title and a MEVZA Middle European League silver in 2021, he made his first international transfer, to Italy’s Verona Volley. Last season the team was close to a sensational result in their quarterfinal against mighty Cucine Lube Civitanova, leading the best-of-five series by two wins, but stopped short of making it to the semifinals. Now the young Slovenian is on the eve of his third season with the club. Compared to the national team, Mozic plays in a different position at Rana Verona.
Rok Mozic in attack during VNL 2023
“With Verona I play as a receiver and in the national team as an opposite, but I am happy that I am on the court. This is the most important,” said Mozic. “We have a good team in Verona. We fought a lot last season. We had some incredible matches and I am still sad when I think back about how we lost to Civitanova. I look forward to the new season. As usual, we’ll go game by game and we want to be in our best form for the playoffs. However, the teams are incredible, every game is very tough, but we will try to do our best.
“But there is still a long time until the start, so right now I am focused on the Olympic qualifiers.”
