Special words of the Polish representative. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here”

By winning the world championship in the U-19 (2021) youth national team or silver in the Polish team at the U-21 European championships (2022), you can certainly look with hope into the future, already the senior one.

Kajetan Kubicki, because he was talking about his volleyball path, he was rubbed his first trails in PlusLiga in the now non -existent KGHM Cuprum Lubin (currently based in Gorzów Wielkopolski, under the name Cuprum Stilon). The 2024/25 season of 22 years old spent in the ranks of Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle. It was there that he had the opportunity to share the cloakroom with great masters, such as Bartosz Kurek or Marcin Janusz.

He told Kubicki about his older, titled colleagues – and even a friend – Kubicki, as a member of the broad composition of the Polish Senior Team, in an interview with “Wprost”. Although this is not the only thread that the talented playmaker touched.

Interview with Kajetan Kubicki, playing the Polish volleyball team

Maciej Piasecki (Wprost): Polish national team in youth version is nothing new for you. And what are the first feelings of Kajetan Kubicki in the senior version, already at the national team grouping?

Kajetan Kubicki (playmaker Zaksa Kędzierzyn-Koźle and the Polish national team): This is completely new. I know that I had contact with the youth team, but I would not say that this is the same experience. Even the dynamics of the whole grouping, there are volleyballers here, who are simply the best in the country. Because of this, the level of training is completely different.

I certainly feel very distinguished and try to get as much as possible from this grouping.

The 2025 representative season is also a moment when you can win a lot. The staff is after the Olympic Games, there may be some changes in several positions. I do not want a declaration here about taking over the rudders at the “one”, but do you feel that this is a good time to fight for your own?

I think the athlete should have such a “mindset”. If I wasn’t confident, I think I wouldn’t be where I am. I come here primarily with an attitude to get as much as possible. Learn a lot from the players surrounding me or even from the coach, who, as you know, was a great playmaker. Every day I try to go a step ahead.

And what the future will bring, we will see it. For now, I think about what is here and now. I try to be a little better every day.

Journalists had the opportunity to see a scrap of your preparations, looking at training under the guidance of coach Nikola Grbic. The selector often gives hints how the playmaker?

At this point, it is also a hard time for a trainer, because he only meets us all. He has many new players, so he tries to separate his time a little. Take it at least a little to anyone who appeared on the grouping. But yes. We exchanged a few sentences, his every comments are very valuable. If anything indicates, I try to change it, according to the instructions.

Of course, this will not happen immediately, progress needs time, but I try, because if coach Nikola Grbić says something, I know that it will be better. I try to guide it.

Marcin Janusz is the best club colleague in your position, with whom you had the opportunity to play in one team?

Yes. I have very good relationships with Marcin and I think that if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. Apart from the obvious fact that he will not be with us in the national team this year – and in fact one place slowed down. But the work we did in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, where we just had a great time, it was not such a competition, where one wanted to show, prove something to the other.

It was a competition full of support. I felt it and I hope that Marcin felt it too. So that the only thing I can do is just thank him for this season, because he made me as an athlete and man a step forward.

So I came across the field friend of Kajetan Kubicki?

I think so. We have a unique relationship. We like to laugh together, joke. I would call him a friend because he is a person close to me.

I will ask Bartosz Kurek. That is the legend of Polish and even world volleyball. What is it like to have “Kurasia” in one cloakroom as a teammate?

At first, such thoughts certainly appear: cramps, this is Bartek Kurek. This is not an ordinary player, but the biggest legend of Polish volleyball. At the beginning this stage fright and say pressure, she was on me or other young players.

But Bartek is such a great person that he immediately removed the pressure of us, showing what the character he is. He showed that he is loose, you can join him. There was no age difference if you compare his contact with me or older players. It certainly helped a lot.

With Bartek I also have a unique relationship and I would like to greet it because I am waiting … for a rematch in ping-pong (laughs).

And what is the state of this competition? Kurek on the lead?

I will not say how exactly it is, because Bartek will say that he is in his favor, and I will start convincing that for my (laughs).

Let’s say that our level increases with each match. Whoever has a better day with a given duel wins. So I would rate this competition at 50/50.

Let’s go back to volleyball. Andrea Giani, we know this man from many successes, be it as a volleyball player or as a trainer. ZAKSA looked like a team that matured over the season. How is cooperation with a trainer, which is, among others Two -time Olympic champion as a French team coach?

I think that primarily coach Giani had a plan for our team. We tried to enforce its assumptions. It was better for us over time. But let’s say that this idea operated all the time, day by day. For this reason, with time our game was getting better when we got used to his game system.

Coach Andrea also introduced such a nice atmosphere, where these trainings were pure pleasure and fun. There was no such thing that someone came to training and felt compulsion that he must be here. We had a really great group of fourteen boys and we just had a great time. This in my opinion made us go quite far in the whole season. We were not much lacking for us to reach the semi -finals.

Of course, looking through the prism of time, we regret and we are hurt that we have not entered this four, because Bogdanka Luk Lublin is doing great and it is possible that he will end with the gold medal (conversation conducted on Tuesday, i.e. May 6, EMPE). However, we have done a great job in Kędzierzyn-Koźle during these nine months.

At the end of the season, coach Andrea told us that the most important thing for him was that he received one hundred percent from us every day. It was also very important.

Your playing, or rather mainly episodes in the season, is it not a problem? It is no secret that, regardless of position, only regular performances make the volleyball player make progress.

When I came to Zaksa, I had my assumption. I knew that many experts would say that the young and prospective playmaker needs playing. And he must go somewhere where he will actually have such an opportunity. Of course, I agree with that.

However, I decided that after two seasons in Lubin, I needed to go to the environment, where there would be players who won something big in their careers. Who know how to lead their career to reach this peak. And I was lucky enough to find many such players in the colors of Zaksa. Mentioned Bartek or Marcin, plus Erik Shoji or David Smith.

I just wanted to soak a little with this mentality, as I should behave every day, how to direct my career and what to look for. The same applies to the trainer, I chose Andrea Giani with conviction. Knowing how class the coach he is and I also needed that, after all, he could take two steps back, but learn as much as possible and in the future it will pay off. I will add that it was not a decision taken from day to day, I thought about this step with the choice of ZAKSA.

I felt great in Kędzierzyn-Koźle. We had everything we needed. We could only focus on playing volleyball. The Kędzierzyn community itself was very kind to us. And I’m not just talking about our fan club who was with us in these good and bad moments. But even when we went shopping, wherever the city, people approached us and asked how the situation in the club or we need something, etc. I am very grateful for it, because it was something new to me and I felt very good in this environment.

Do you still think sometimes thinking to the quarter -finals with Bogdanka Luk Lublin? You were very close to the entrance to the semi -finals, but it was the rivals that turned out to be better. I am asking about it especially in the context of what the Lublin team later achieved.

I try not to think back, not to smile. This is not a good feature either. I think it was close, but that day Bogdanka Luk was just better than us. I don’t know what would happen if our captain played in that match. But if such situations appear, injuries or some absences in a team, then you have to deal with what we have. Bogdanka Luk won with us in the quarter -finals, and I can only congratulate her on how well she is doing this season.

Finally, regardless of your club future, ZAKSA will fight for the medal next season?

I have no idea.