Alvaro compares Olympic debut experience to birth of son

Defending champion and two-time Olympic medallist Alison Cerutti and his current partner Alvaro Filho made a fantastic start in the beach volleyball tournament at Tokyo 2020. In the opening match on the sand of the Olympic stadium at Shiokaze Park, the Brazilians lived up to expectations and achieved a straight-set victory over Argentina’s Julian Amado Azaad and Nicolas Capogrosso, after which they talked about their excitement to be part of the Games in the Japanese capital.

For 30-year-old defender Alvaro Filho, it was the first appearance on the Olympic sand and coming out of it with a victory turned it into an even more remarkable experience for him.

“I’m still shaking,” he admitted. “I was very anxious before the match. During the match I was trying to focus on the ball and on what I had to do. The first match was very hard for us. We knew it would be hard. The weather is also really hot and we had to stay focused all the time during the match.

“But the adrenaline I feel now, after the match, is the same that I felt when my son was born. So it’s very special and I am enjoying it a lot...”

35-year-old blocker Alison is way more experienced on the sand courts of the world. He played at the previous two editions of the Olympics, earning silver at London 2012 and gold at Rio 2016. He is also a two-time world champion and a two-time World Tour season winner. Tokyo 2020, however, remains a new and exciting experience for him.

“Although this is already my third Olympics, I am still very excited about it because I am here with a new team in which we all trust each other,” he told Volleyball World. “We will just try to take it one game at a time and go as far as possible, hopefully to another medal. So you’ll see us going all in for the next match and each match after that.”

In the first season Alison and Alvaro Filho played together, in 2019, they collected two gold and two silver medals on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. However, since the Tour resumed in 2021 they have managed to make the podium only once in six appearances claiming bronze at one of the Cancun stops. But knowing that they were already qualified for Tokyo and targeting their preparation towards the big event of the year probably explains it.

“We have just been trying to do our best since the beginning of this season. We’ve had our preparation and the focus was on this tournament for sure,” Alvaro Filho confirmed. “We want to play our best here.”

The Brazilian athletes also commented on what the Olympic experience felt like with all the anti-coronavirus precautions the organisers have been taking.

“Alison and I are doing our best to follow all the protocols, to disinfect, to stay together within our team. For us, it’s just normal life,” Alvaro Filho said.

“Yes, it is a very different experience from the previous Olympics. The stands used to be crowded, but now they are empty,” Alison added. “Still, when we entered the arena, we greeted the stands and this way we dedicated our game to all the fans who cannot attend this important competition. Although the situation is very difficult for everybody around the world, I am very happy that the Olympics is finally happening. It’s here!”

Quick links:
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Schedule and results
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Beach volleyball
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour
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