Pavan & Melissa’s top 13 Olympic mixed zone quotes

“I was shaking like a leaf. I was very nervous. We both were. During warm-up, we were both just trying to calm the legs and the nerves. In the tunnel, we all have nervous smiles on our faces, but once you get up and you play volleyball, you know you're right where you belong, and then you own the moment." Melissa Humana-Paredes (about being nervous before her first Olympic match)

“I still get nervous for almost every game that we play. You know these are big moments, and you want to make sure that all the work that you've put in, all the sacrifices that you've made, are worth it and it shows through. You don't want to let yourself down, you don't want to let your teammate down. It just means you care.” Melissa Humana-Paredes

“We have been waiting for this moment for so long! Last year was a rollercoaster of emotions. To know that we had earned our berth so early, and have it put on pause was heartbreaking. But we stayed disciplined, motivated and accountable not only to each other, but to our federation, to our sport, to everybody who has been supporting us.” Sarah Pavan

“We have been preparing for this the last four years. This is the moment that we've been leading up to and I think we prepared extremely well, both physically and mentally, to show up the way we're showing up right now. This is a great example of trusting the process the whole way through and knowing that even when things get difficult, things will come together when they're meant to come together.” Melissa Humana-Paredes

“I just think how badly I want it to be us. Ever since we won the World Championship, I’ve been visualizing the moment when we would be in that position here. We've got a lot of tournament ahead of us and we're not getting ahead of ourselves, but just to see the joy on those girls’ faces and to know and understand what they've gone through to get that…! I want us to have that moment too. It would be historic in the sport of beach volleyball for our country.” Sarah Pavan (about Canada winning Tokyo 2020 medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay)

“Even though I've been here before, there are nerves when you first step out on the court. But that's normal and it means that we care. We care about what we're doing; we care about representing our country well.” Sarah Pavan

“I've been trading a lot of pins. My lanyard is very heavy (I need a new one). It's scratching me, but it's fine. It's worth it, because it's fun. It’s cool to meet other athletes, obviously socially distanced and everyone wearing masks. It’s very safe! Our other favourite thing to do is to guess which athlete is from what sport, based on the body type. Very fun in the Village! It's tough, but it's fun!” Melissa Humana-Paredes (about enjoying the Olympics outside the competition)

“I think we can all agree that there’s something missing. We thrive on a full stadium with all of that energy, but I think a strength of our team is that we are able to manufacture energy as well when we need to. We don't rely on any external factors to be able to bring what we need because we get that from each other." Sarah Pavan (about the absence of spectators at Tokyo 2020)

“The expectation that we have on ourselves will always feel heavier than any expectation that's external. I think what we have done over the last five years has been pretty remarkable. I think we have just continued to grow and better ourselves every year. There's just this one expectation for ourselves, that we continue getting better. If we can call ourselves world champions, but also know that there's still more ceiling for us to grow, that's all you can really ask for. It's a really fantastic place to be.” Melissa Humana-Paredes (about carrying the weight of expectation as world champions)

“We're honoured to be considered the favourites. I don't think it adds any pressure. We have been very transparent about our goals and our objectives since day one, and that hasn't changed. We go through the exact same process for every single game, we always prepare the same. And I think that that's what sets us apart. We take every single game very seriously, and we prepare to the best of our abilities.” Sarah Pavan (about the role of favourites in every match)

“I think we needed that! We needed to be pushed and we needed it to be really close to get us ready for the playoffs. This was an incredibly difficult pool. Every single team in this group is very talented and to come out of it with 3-0 and the first place is so exciting.” Sarah Pavan (about being pushed to 24-22 in their last set of the pool stage)

“Sarah has been phenomenal throughout this journey, getting me here. Something she did say is, ‘yes, it’s volleyball, but the Olympics is different, the first game jitters are a real thing and the nerves are real’. So for her to just be honest with me and express vulnerability with me at a moment when I'm new at this, really helped me get to the point that we’re at and got us closer on the court.” Melissa Humana-Paredes (about receiving advice from her more experienced partner)

“It’s been really special! Obviously, it’s very different from what I imagined. I think what we’re doing out there on the court is what we’ve been preparing for and what I’ve been dreaming, and living for, and working so hard for... I feel really honoured to be on the court with Sarah. Representing Canada is something that I don’t take lightly. I just want to relish every single second of it.” Melissa Humana-Paredes (about her first Olympic experience)