French youths privileged to be coached by Youssef Krou

One of the great things to see on the premises of major age-group competitions is how some of the great players of the not-so-distant past have switched to a new role, that of coaching the stars of the future and passing their knowledge and experience on to the next generation of young hopefuls. The ongoing 2026 FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship in the Hague is no exception. The two teams representing France at the tournament – boys and girls – have the privilege of learning from one of the best beach volleyballers in the country’s history, Youssef Krou.

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37-year-old Krou took up coaching after ending his career as a professional player following the 2024 Olympic Games, which his country hosted in Paris. He played beach volleyball internationally for 11 seasons and, between the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, he collected 12 medals, including three golds. His best achievement was the Torquay Elite16 gold he earned in 2022 with Arnaud Gauthier-Rat. The pair followed that with three more Beach Pro Tour podiums and climbed as high as number 11 in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking in 2023 on the way to Paris 2024.

“I had done my rounds as a player. 10 years of traveling around the world as a professional athlete was a long period, and the last two years were very, very hard because of the qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris,” Youssef Krou told FIVB.com after the end of a long qualification day at the U18 World Championships in the Netherlands. “The situation was not an easy one and had to be managed with a lot of ups and downs. So, it was the final cut in any case. I knew that after Paris 2024, whether I qualified or not, I would stop playing.”

“I am now very much looking forward to transfer what I learned, so the natural step was to take on the role of a coach,” he added.

Krou’s first coaching job was with FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported France’s senior women’s teams. A successful first season in the new role peaked with Clemence Vieira & Aline Chamereau’s historic silver at the 2025 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships, France’s second medal in the history of the women’s EuroBeachVolley, after the first silver from 26 years earlier.

“I started with a full year of training the senior women’s team in 2025, when we achieved a great result at the European Championship, and we managed to qualify two teams for the World Champs,” said Krou. “And at the end of that season, I decided to take the responsibility for the development of the young, and it has been a bit less than a year now…”

Krou has already steered his young and talented disciples to success at national and zonal tournaments.

“My motto is to make them play as much as possible. We train a lot, but we also do a lot of game play, because in game situations, in tournament situations is where you realize where you are at in your development as a player – physically, mentally, technically – with the adversity of the opponents,” Krou pointed out.

Now he is working his first age-group World Championship with two pairs he brought in to compete in the Hague. The girls’ duo of 16-year-old Malo Mir & Izzie Delporte were defeated by Czechia’s Ema Sebova & Lea Mifkova and eliminated from further participation.

“Unfortunately, Izzie & Malo lost in the first round of qualifications to a strong Czech team that plays beach volleyball and I thing there was a huge imbalance here, because we are not playing enough. And my job now is to make them play as much as possible.”

The French boys’ team consisting of 17-year-old Adrien Bezu and 16-year-old Quentin Hypolyte, on the other hand, were very successful on the first competition day. They were the only pair to win three straight-set victories in the men’s qualifications on Wednesday and advanced to the main draw.

“Quentin & Adrien had been playing a lot already. We are making them play as much as possible. They have much more court and field experience. So, they managed to have a great and very stable performance during these three games. There was a huge game against Turkiye, in which they managed to shut them down with a great quality of service. So, I am very proud of what they have been able to do and show on the court. After some rest following these three games, they have to show what they are able to do in the second part of the tournament – the main draw.”

The young players themselves are very happy to be guided by someone like Youssef Krou.

“Youssef was an amazing player, and it’s a dream to be coached by him,” said Adrien Bezu. “I love that. Youssef is a great coach!”

“I am very happy and I feel privileged to be coached by Youssef Krou, with the experience that he has. He is able to transfer his experience to us very quickly,” Malo Mir added.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to train under his supervision for several months,” Izzie Delporte stated. “I feel very happy to learn from all the games he has played and the experience he has.”

So, what is the most important thing they have learned from their coach so far?

Izzie Delporte: “His patience and the input that he gives me to develop as a player.”

Adrien Bezu: “He taught me to be calm and aggressive on the court.”

Malo Mir: “To always fight on the court whatever the score is.”

“If this coaching career is a long-term thing, I don’t know yet, but what is for sure is that when I involve myself in a project, I go one hundred per cent. As a player, you are so focused, looking, squaring everything. But sometimes as a coach I feel happier and more fulfilled when I see them making amazing stuff that we have been working on during the year, and seeing them being able to put that on the court in the game is really rewarding. And I am very happy to see how they develop as players, but also as humans and persons,” said Krou in conclusion.

For Bezu & Hypolyte, the U18 World Championship in the Netherlands continues on Thursday with their first main draw matches. They will compete in Pool H against Stijn Pleunus van den Bos & Koen Meijer of the Netherlands, Ryan Edgar & Thomas Turner of Australia and Koller Luke & Bigler Liam of Switzerland.

2026 FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship: schedule and results

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