Brazil men's beach volleyball duo seeks to repeat glory
28/7/2008 16:49
Athens Olympic champions Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego looks forward to
repeat their glory in Beijing for Brazil, which has dominated the fan-favorite
sport for more than a decade along with the United States.
Santos, 33, who
began his career as a beach volleyball player at 19 and claimed a silver medal
in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, is dubbed "the Block Machine" due to his
efficiency at the net.
By 2000, Santos and his former partner Ze Marco de
Melo were one of the two top-ranked teams in the world.
Since beginning
cooperation with Rego in 2002, Santos and his partner have been pretty
consistent, winning 24 FIVB events, including 23 World Tour gold medals and the
2003 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
The tandem duo were FIVB Tour
Champion for four straight years since 2003 and was honored the FIVB Team of the
Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
This time in Beijing, they face biggest
challenges from the United States and a pair of their compatriots.
The
Brazilians were placed second in the qualifying standing for the Beijing
Olympics, falling behind the 2007 world champions, American Todd Rogers and Phil
Dalhausser, who are eyeing to pocket the gold medal in Beijing.
"The
Americans are a very competitive team that blends the blocking and hitting of
Dalhausser with the excellent defense of Rogers," said Rego.
Marcio
Araujo/Fabio Luiz are the other Brazilian pair, who're dubbed another tough
opponents by Rego, while teams from China, the Netherlands, Germany and Russia
are also believed to be strong.
But with the momentum of winning in
world-class events in the past years, the reigning champions duo appeared
confident.
"I like the big challenges," said Rego, who tracked down almost
every shot from the rivals in the final in Athens Olympics.
Xinhua
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