As the season has just drawn to an end with the last 2 World Beach Pro Tour events in Australia, it’s now time to begin to reflect on the year that just passed.
The season started in January with a last-minute call to take part in the King of the Court finals in Doha, followed by a fantastic opportunity to train in Joao Pessoa, in Brazil, in what has become one of the most prominent training hubs in the world, led by Gilmario Cajá and a very passionate and committed group of world-class coaches.
While the newly rebranded Beach Pro Tour and escalating positions on the world ranking remained a top priority, the preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham had to become our main focus if we were to deliver the desired results on what has become a historical year for beach volleyball in the UK and for the team Bello-Bello.
From Mexico to Australia, Thailand, Spain and Greece, the progress was there, but the results of this first part of the season were disappointing, to say the least. The team was finally injury free; we were able to use the training facilities of the Spanish Federation to combat the British weather, we had the exceptional support of Antonio Garcia de Alcaraz and his team at the University of Almeria, helping with data analysis, strength and conditioning, psychology, and other areas. So, the question became, how could we help Javier and Joaquin rise above the emotional response of winning and losing and find a consistent path to success? Asking ourselves ‘what went well’ or ‘what could we improve’ and applying these questions across different areas (training, weekly schedule, strength and conditioning, nutrition, etc.) were the starting points to identify weaker areas. Suddenly we had a long list of ways to improve and find those extra points, but also what the team needed was a bit of patience and time because the ingredients were there and our main objectives were still a while away.
In the spring, while all this progress and adaptation was happening, life was going on, with the line between family and the team blurred more often than ever. Javier working in his end of degree dissertation and Joaquin his 4th year of medicine, while Enrique, our unsung training partner, preparing his A-level exams and Barbara keeping everything working together with the precision of a Swiss clock. Our stress levels reached a peak around the Commonwealth games Selection Tournament, with so many important exams, deadlines and family events clashing with a very important competition. Javier and Joaquin had been the top British team since January 2019, so they are used to dealing with the pressure of balancing their studies with their training, travel and competition demands, as well as the public exposure and the desire of domestic teams on a mission to beat them… The performance at this tournament was not their best, but I was pleased to see how they overcame the pressure and stress to meet the objective. We were finally confirmed to represent England at the Commonwealth games in home soil, a once in a generation opportunity to play in front of family and friends, showcase the sport to thousands of existing and new fans, and hopefully achieve the first ever medal for England.
With only 8 weeks until entering the Games environment, we had a solid plan in place to ensure the most optimal preparation. We played lots of matches of all levels and conditions, from domestic tours in UK and Spain to Beach Pro Tour tournaments in Portugal and Belgium. Added to this hectic schedule were media days, photo shootings, kit fitting… plus the risk of injuries… and let’s not forget COVID measures and repeat testing were still around. The professionalism that Javier and Joaquin showed really determined how well we prepared for the biggest competition so far in their careers.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham were everything we had in mind and much more. I had experienced many multi-sport competitions before, but this was different in many ways… and much closer to home.
Performance wise, Javier and Joaquin rose to the occasion and delivered some solid performances, firstly against teams who may not be so well known in the top of the world rankings, but who were physically very strong and very determined. The semi-final against Canada, a match I have watched multiple times, was where I think the final result was determined. They played a very solid game against a very experienced, highly ranked team and, despite narrowly losing in three sets, it gave them the confidence to go after the bronze medal with everything they had against a team who had beaten a strong New Zealand two days before.
If I were to use one word to describe my feelings that day, it would be PRIDE. I was proud not of the medal, always nice and hopefully one of many to come, but proud of how they did it; How they showcased beach volleyball to thousands of people who had never been exposed to the sport before; How they engaged with the volunteers, the organisers, the Team England staff, the crowds, the media…. How they conducted themselves as professional athletes and young men; How they inspired young players to go after their dreams or simply become more active. It was a huge moment for them, of course, but specially for beach volleyball in the UK, as well as all the people rooting for them and supporting them over the last few years.
Although the team has bigger ambitions in the horizon, this was definitely a huge milestone in their career and a memory that will inspire them and others in the future.
Right after the games, with only 3 days to rest and recover, they travelled to Cortegaça in Portugal to try to revalidate the gold medal achieved the year before. In a very unfortunate defensive move during the last of the pool matches, Javier fractured his hand, but continued playing, won the game, and went on to win the quarterfinal match and a bronze medal, their 4th in the World Tour/Beach Pro Tour but definitely one of the most memorable because of how they did it. This medal was a fair prize for their tremendous effort, determination, and adaptability.
The injury, however, came at the price of having to stop for two and a half months to recover and having to withdraw from important tournaments in the Maldives and Dubai in the last part of the season. Once again, the boys showed great professionalism, sticking to a plan to return to competition-shape very efficiently.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Cape Town Elite 16 tournament marked their reappearance with an amazing performance against US and France in the Qualification rounds and against Netherlands and the top 2 team in the world and Olympic medallists, Qatar, who we managed to put under pressure until the very end of the tie break. In Australia, at the last tournaments of the season, the boys again brought together everything they had learned and worked on this year, pushing another top 10 result and another main draw at the Elite 16, the highest level of the Beach Pro Tour. It took many months of hard work and managing a lot of variables, but in the end the boys reached a very high level of performance from the Commonwealth Games onwards, even despite an injury, which is a good place to build from next year.
Overall, it has been a very successful season with its highs and lows and the team is highly motivated to continue progressing after the way they challenged many top teams in the last part of the year. We will spend time understanding how the team won in order to do it again, and seeing where we can make improvements to get another step further. One can never guarantee success, but hard work and dedication will never go short. We will look at how the plan worked, how the training blocks fitted together, how their s&c plan was executed, how their competition calendar worked, how their travel arrangements impacted their performance, and of course, how effective the technical and tactical elements have been.
And the last words must be of great appreciation to all those who have contributed to the success of this team and English volleyball as a whole. THANK YOU to all of you, supporting the team on a daily basis and being a part of our journey.
With the new season and the start of the Olympic qualification period around the corner we are really excited to continue striving for the best!
