It’s that time of the week… the latest news from the sands of the world

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A cuartos de final en DOHA 🇶🇦 ⭐⭐⭐⭐!!! Luego de dos duros partidos y victorias vs Noruega y Brasil logramos el paso a cuartos de final! Mañana a las 16:00 hrs (10:00 🇨🇱) nos jugamos el paso a semifinales vs Italia 🇮🇹! Vamos #TeamChile 🇨🇱💪🏼🤙🏼 . . #PrimosGrimalt #BeMoreHuman #GanaDesdeAdentro #Linares #DeportistaMeds #Unab #Coch #IND #Fevochi #VoleyPlaya #BeachVolley #Chile #Deporte #Sport #qatar

1,821 Likes, 56 Comments - Primos Grimalt (@primos_grimalt) on Instagram: "A cuartos de final en DOHA 🇶🇦 ⭐⭐⭐⭐!!! Luego de dos duros partidos y victorias vs Noruega y Brasil..."

Latest from Doha

It’s been an exciting week on the sand in Qatar as the men’s four-star tournament in Doha.

As we type these words, we’re at the quarterfinal stages, with among the final eight teams include last week’s Sydney winners Esteban and Marco Grimalt (above), home favorites Cherif Samba and Ahmed Tijan and the United States’ Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser, who are playing their first tournament of the season.

There were some interesting early exits in the first elimination round, that saw Dutchmen Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen bite the dust in the desert. Also heading for an early trip home were new Brazilian tandem Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Evandro Gonçalves, and their former partners Alison Cerutti and Andre Loyola.

The semifinals take place on Friday, with the medal matches scheduled for Saturday. We’ll have a full round-up online on Monday.

Past Olympians honored

The World Olympians Association (WOA) recognized 11 beach volleyball Olympians during last week’s Sydney three-star event.

The letters ‘OLY’ can now officially be added add the end of players’ names if they have represented their country at an Olympics. The initiative began as recently as November 2017 and within ive days more than 1,000 Olympians had registered.

Three-time Olympic champions Kerri Walsh Jennings was honored, as well as Australian duo Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho during last week’s tournament on Manly Beach. The presentation highlighted the collaboration between the Australian Olympic Committee and Volleyball Australia.

Also honoured was Australia’s gold medallist in beach volleyball from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Kerri Pottharst, plus fellow Australians Julien Prosser, Andrew Schacht, Liane Fenwick and Anita Palm.

Austria’s Alexander Huber, Canada’s Martin Reader and American volleyball representative from the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, John Hyden also received the Olympic honor.

The Australian Olympic Committee’s Olympian Services Manager Daniel Kowalski OAM presented the Olympians with a certificate and an OLY pin.
 

History made by Africans silver medalists

There was a little bit of history made in Australia at the event in Sydney as South Africa’s Grant Goldschmidt and Leo Williams became the first African team to reach an FIVB World Tour final.

Leo Williams (@leowilliams32) * Instagram photos and videos

969 Followers, 936 Following, 116 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Leo Williams (@leowilliams32)

The duo, who joined forces at the start of the season, won a silver medal having battled through qualification to reach the final.

There was no shortage of pride for the pair’s achievement back home in Cape Town. Coach Gershon Rorich, himself a past Olympian, said: “This is a great achievement for Grant and Leo and the National Federation as we invested in developing talented players over the years and we are reaping the rewards of our investment.”

Social media: Casey reflects

Being a beach pro isn’t as glamorous as everyone thinks. Just ask the USA’s Casey Patterson. In a thought-provoking post on Instagram, the 2016 Olympian sums up what it can be like for a globe-trotting family man whose life depends on his job. Click the post and have a read and tell us you’re not getting a bit emotional. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Here is a little view into the real life as a Beach Volleyball player. You prepare to the best of your ability with hopes you will have success half way across the world. You gamble on yourself. Two weeks later you've made zero dollars and come home empty handed to your wife and kids. You've missed your kids championship basketball games, baseball games and dance performances. You get stuck in 16hr flights with seats that no human can really fit in comfortably. BUT!!! Even with all of that you keep playing because when the dice roll your way and you win 🏆 You know it was all you and your partner believing, working and earning it. We all work hard and grind in our own way. Everyone has different obstacles to over come to make the dream a reality. But that's what makes it so EPIC when you're successful. You get to travel the world and meet so many new friends and others who love the sport as well. It's an epic adventure with zero security except for the fact that You Love It! Shout Out to anyone winning, losing, training, commuting, working, traveling and grinding through the journey 🙏🏼 #beachvolleyball #travellife #beachvolley #beachmode #liveunrivaled #earntheday #mambamentality

2,929 Likes, 110 Comments - Casey Patterson (@caseypatt) on Instagram: "Here is a little view into the real life as a Beach Volleyball player. You prepare to the best of..."

See you next week!