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02/03/2021

Chileans prepare for their own March Madness

March has the potential to be a pivotal month in Chile’s hopes of being represented at the beach volleyball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. The country’s top teams are sparing no effort in preparing for the opportunities ahead of them.

The Grimalt cousins Marco and Esteban, the Vorpahl sisters Chris and Nicole and veterans Francisca Rivas and Paula Vallejos, and their respective coaches, have all headed to Joao Pessoa, a city in the northeast of Brazil, for a training camp where they will prepare for the challenges they face next month.

Last year, the teams had a similar experience when, in August, they headed to Europe and spent time training and competing in Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Israel.

The Grimalts were the first to arrive in Joao Pessoa (in mid-February) and will remain in the city until the end of the month with their coach, former player Paulo ‘Paulao’ Moreira. Currently occupying 16th place in the Olympic qualification rankings, the cousins are looking forward to making another step towards their second-straight Olympic appearance when they participate in the 4-star Katara Beach Volleyball Cup from March 8-12, the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event in 2021 with major Olympic implications.

Marco and Esteban, who finished 19th at the Rio 2016 Games, found the perfect setting for their training camp at the popular CT Cangaço, one of the most well-known training centres in Brazil, which is also currently hosting Serbians Lazar Kolaric and Milos Milic.

“It’s been a while since we last competed internationally, so we were looking for a place where we could have a high-level and intense preparation for the event in Doha,” Esteban told Volleyball World. “Here we have just that. Not only we have great coaches to work with, but we also get to practise against some of the best Brazilian players like Andre (Loyola), George (Wanderley), Vitor (Felipe) and Harley (Marques). It’s been extremely valuable for us.”

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The Chilean women’s squad landed in Joao Pessoa last week and will remain at the Cabo Branco beach until March 10, when they head to Asuncion, Paraguay, to compete against the hosts in the semifinal round of the South American Continental Cup, from March 12-13.

Chile reached a significant milestone last September, when Rivas and Chris Vorpahl earned the nation’s first-ever women’s medal at a World Tour event, a bronze at a 1-star tournament in Vilnius, Lithuania. However, due to their limited participation in international events, the Continental Cup is the most realistic path for Chilean women to qualify for the Games for the first time.

Rivas (left) and Vorpahl are among the players that will represent Chile at the Continental Cup event in Paraguay

The two teams expect to refine their craft ahead of the tournament in Paraguay while working under the guidance of coach Fernando ‘Kike’ Ramos. They will also be able to practise against some elite Brazilian teams, including the one of Andressa Cavalcanti and Vitoria Rodrigues.

“This camp will be very helpful for us,” the 33-year-old Rivas said. “We were all training in Chile, but didn’t have a lot of opportunities to play in the summer and we missed that. We’ll be able to play against some great teams and that will make us stronger ahead of the Continental Cup. I think it will also be a great opportunity for us to prepare mentally. I expect very tight competition with Paraguay, so whoever is stronger mentally could have the advantage.”