“It’s the dream, right, to play at the WFC”, says Kristel Kopel (Estonia)

Estonia’s #76 Kristel Kopel is up for her debut at the World Floorball Championships.

Together with her team, the 23-year-old defender will face strong teams at the tournament. In the group stage, Denmark, Norway, and Japan will be their opponents. We spoke with Kopel in the weeks before the WFC.

When did you start playing floorball?

I started playing when I was 13-14 years old. My older sister played floorball before me and it seemed interesting.

How is the season going in Estonia?

My current club is SK Link/Saku. The season has begun nicely. So far we have won all three games and the feeling is good.

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Are you defender in both your club and in team Estonia?

Yes, usually I am a defender both in my club and in team Estonia.

I see in the stats you’ve played as forward, but now you’re a defender. When did this change and why did you move to another position?

I was marked as a forward but actually I was already then playing as a defender. So most of the time in my career I have played as a defender and I definitely feel most confident in this position.

How were the WFCQ games against the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and Belgium?

It is hard for me to comment as I did not participate in the WFCQ 2019. But overall, everything went well as team Estonia managed to qualify for the WFC.

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There was not a specific reason I missed the WFCQ, just a lot was going on in my personal life at that time.

You’ve never played a WFC before. Are you excited for WFC 2019?

I am very excited! That’s the dream, right, to play in WFC! 😉

Norway, Japan, and Denmark: what are your thoughts towards the group stage?

Definitely all games will be challenging but I believe we are capable of winning them. So the main goal in my eyes is first to advance through the group stage and then do our best to place as high as possible by the end of the tournament.

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How is your preparation for the WFC?

I have weekly practices with my club team since the Estonian season started. We had several training camps with the National team and personal goals to complete in the summer.

In addition, we started playing in the Latvian League as team Estonia in September. It has given us a great experience for stronger games like there will be in WFC and better preparation for working as a team.

What is your team goal for the WFC? Any specific ranking?

I think if we could get to the top eight, it would be a huge achievement for us.

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Daniël Nicolai Member since May 17, 2016

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COFOUNDER - Passionate about (playing and watching) floorball. Working on social media and match reports. Always looking for new ideas, improvements and creative ways to spread floorball. You'll read about it!