Heidrich announces new teammate

20-year-old Dillier to join forces with 27-year-old Swiss Olympian

Published 08:11, 17 Oct 2021

Swiss Olympian Adrian Heidrich has announced his new beach volleyball partner, after his previous teammate Mirco Gerson put an end to his athletic career shortly after the Tokyo 2020 Games. The 27-year-old blocker will now join forces with 20-year-old defender Leo Dillier.

2.07m-tall Heidrich, younger brother of two-time Olympian and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Joana Heidrich, has been playing internationally since 2015, collecting three podiums on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and winning one medal of each colour. He and Gerson claimed gold at the Qinzhou 3-star in 2019. They represented Switzerland at this summer’s Olympic Games after their national team won the CEV Continental Cup Finals in the Hague. Heidrich and Gerson are number 14 in the current FIVB World Ranking.

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Dillier’s international experience includes five appearances on the World Tour, two in 2019 with Florian Breer and three in 2021 with Simon Hagenbuch. The Montpellier 1-star ninth-place finish in August was his best result. Dillier also represented Switzerland at six age-category European Championships from 2018 through 2021.

Heidrich and Dillier are targeting qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Their international debut as a team is expected to take place at next month’s Itapema 4-star.