Bruno’s 15 magical hours in Tokyo

Brazil national team captain Bruno Rezende has already been to three Olympics and won medals in each of them, but the 15-hour period right at the start of the Tokyo Games will rank high up there among his best memories in the event.

From carrying the Brazilian flag during the Opening Ceremony on Friday evening to leading his teammates to a three-set victory against Tunisia on Saturday morning in Brazil’s opening match in the volleyball tournament, the 35-year-old setter had a mix of emotions and feelings.

A Rio 2016 Olympic champion, Bruno shared his country’s flag bearer duties with judo athlete Ketleyn Quadros and became the first volleyball player in his country to have such an honour.

“I’m out of words to describe this moment,” he wrote on an Instagram post. “It was such an honour to represent our sports, our athletes and most importantly the Brazilian people. It was a great pleasure to share this moment with a warrior like Ketleyn. Let these Games be a moment of respect, union and hope for all of us.”

Back on the court 13 hours later, Bruno played in nearly every point of Brazil’s 3-0 opening match victory against Tunisia. The team captain wasn’t completely satisfied with the team’s performance, as the reigning champions had several ups and downs during the match, but is confident the Brazilians will improve as the tournament moves forward.

“In the first match we are always nervous but it is important for every player to feel this emotion, especially the six players in their first Olympics,” the veteran said. “We need to have an aggressive serve and we made some mistakes. My strategy was not the sharpest in the first and second sets. We need to keep improving day by day, it's a long tournament.”

Brazil return to the court on Monday to play against South American rivals Argentina in their second match on Pool B.

Quick links:
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Volleyball
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Volleyball - Match schedule
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