Qatar has had an important role on the international men’s beach volleyball stage, especially thanks to Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan, who were even the world’s number one team for many weeks in 2021 and 2022, but the Asian country is now making big strides to develop the sport for women too.
Qatar has organized many major beach volleyball events in the past, but this week’s Elite16 was the first time it takes advantage of the opportunity to be represented by a host country duo in the women’s tournament.
“When I put on the jersey, it was a new feeling and it definitely felt right,” Rehanna said. “I started volleyball about nine years ago in Austria and now it’s my first time on the beach, my first game on the beach, and I am actually happy to experience this. We knew it was a strong team we were playing against, so we were mentally prepared for a hard match. But I think we could take more out of that match and also improve ourselves from it. My message to everyone is just to keep focused, to keep hustling, to keep moving... Even if there are hard times, you have to go through it and then, in the end, you will have the best results.”
