The Gambia's fairytale start ignites African pride

When Bakary Ensa Kanyi’s spike took a touch off USA’s Cash Essert’s block to confirm The Gambia’s 2-1 (22-20, 14-21, 15-12) win in their opening FIVB Beach Volleyball Under 18 World Championship match on Wednesday, wild cheers erupted from the bench and the few fans who had turned up at the Al Gharafa courts to support them.

It was a historic moment for the Africa Under 18 champions on many fronts. Firstly, it was their first win on their World Championship debut and secondly, to do it against USA, a beach volleyball giant, was a big statement.

Such was the execution that Bakary and his partner Abdallah Bah had displayed all night, barely putting a foot wrong as they matched the American duo Spencer Smith & Cash Essert point for point. With every passing rally, their confidence went a notch higher and when it mattered most, the tie-breaker, they finally got the better of USA.

“USA is a big team and beating them is a big statement from Africa. We are here to represent Africa, not just the Gambia. We hope they can continue supporting us, hopefully we will bring something (a medal) to Africa,” said Bakary, post-match, after an almost flawless all-round performance.

While the performance of The Gambia’s caught everyone by surprise, two people had seen it coming—Head coach Félix Lopez and his local assistant Amadou Jarju. The FIVB has invested 42,000 USD in a 12 months youth beach volleyball programme in The Gambia with Lopez taking charge of both the junior boys’ and girls’ teams.

“It’s really nice to be part of this team and share my knowledge and experience with this new generation. We are working closely with my assistant every day to develop a technical programme that will change our approach. There are a lot of elements that lead to success at this level and it’s good to see that the players are embracing it within a short time,” noted Lopez.

“Every positive step means a lot to us. They have started trusting the process after seeing the improvements,” added the El Salvador native, who has coached The Gambia’s junior teams for three months.

It was befitting that The Gambia’s girls’ team of Hoja Njie & Mariama Sambou also got their first win of the competition on Wednesday night after beating Qatar’s Lujain Mahmoud & Celine Mahmoud Fattouh in straight sets (21-12, 21-10). It was the perfect response from the girls who had earlier lost by a similar margin (11-21, 06-21) to Canada’s Ruby Cochrane & Sophie Hancock.

With one win apiece, both The Gambia’s boys and girls teams are assured of a spot in the elimination round. The top three teams in each of the eight pools advance to the elimination rounds – the eight pool winners go directly to the Round of 16, while the teams that finished second and third play in the Round of 24. Despite The Gambia’s bright start, Lopez is not getting carried away.

“I am not going to push for results because I know it’s a big challenge. You saw Mariama cry after losing to Canada which shows that the players care about their performance but then there is the reality of this level. She was a bit nervous and this is part of our learning curve about competing at this level, you have to be focused and calm. Participating in this World Championship is a big plus for us…I want them to learn and enjoy playing against top teams,” pointed out Lopez.

The captains, Bah and Njie, however are eager to show the world the gains they’ve reaped from the Volleyball Empowerment Programme over the last three months.

“This is the first time we have had a training camp before a competition and this has helped us to adapt quickly. We’ve prepared very well under Coach Lopez and learnt a lot about movement, block, service and defence. We are proud to be here to represent Africa and we will give our best,” said Njie.

As for Bah, the USA win has got them believing that they have what it takes to climb to the podium in Doha.

“The coach told us to be brave and winning the first match against an opponent like USA is a big motivation. This is the same beach volleyball we are used to playing and all of us are Under 18. We believe we can do it, our target is to win the trophy or at least reach the podium,” underlined Bah.

Whether or not they reach the medal bracket in Doha remains to be seen. However, according to Lopez, one thing is for sure--The Gambia will soon conquer Africa and the World!

“This group has great potential. I believe that in two years we will have players from this generation who will go on to become beach volleyball stars at the international level,” asserted Lopez.