Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour: Brazil Olympians Agatha/Rebecca call the shots

Varca: After giving birth to her first daughter last year, 40-year-old Agatha Bednarczuk joined the race for the Paris Olympics 2024 quite late. She has now more than made up for lost time.
The former world champion is on a roll, and if someone needed proof, it was available in good measure at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour in Varca on Friday.
The Brazilian pair comprising Agatha and new partner Rebecca Cavalcanti, another Olympian, had little or no difficulty in overcoming the group stage clashes to book a spot in the last-16 stage.
“Giving birth to a child and then returning to action was a big challenge,” the 40-year-old told TOI after registering the team’s second win of the day. “The first challenge was physical, getting into shape. But then there was another challenge, getting back to form. I took some time. There were injuries too that pegged me back. It was terrible, but this is my sport, and I know such things happen. Now, I am very happy with our performances.”
Agatha, a 2015 world champion and Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist, is one of the most successful players in international beach volleyball in the last decade. Her partner, 29-year-old Rebecca, is another Olympian who has already won two silver medals in Elite16 competitions, featuring the world’s best players.
“We are a new team from Brazil but together we have so much experience. We are working a lot on the combination,” said Agatha.
The Brazilians combined perfectly to win both matches on Friday.
At first, the pair swept aside the challenge of Ren/Non (Japan) 21-14, 21-18 and then returned later in the day to put it across JJ Zeng and MM Lin of China.
The Brazilians won the first set at 21-16 but the Chinese pair fought back to win the second. In the decider, experience was the difference as Agatha and Rebecca led from start to finish to win the set 15-9.
“Our goal is to be at the Paris Olympics next year and our presence here is part of that process. It feels good to be in Goa. The weather is pleasant, just like back home in Brazil,” said Agatha.
There were not too many upsets during the day with participating teams having a chance to turn the corner in the group stages. In the men’s section, there are now 18 teams left in the fray, while 16 women will battle it out in the knockout stage.
Among the close battles of the day, Spanish veterans Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira survived a scare in the group clash against French teenagers Arthur Canet and Teo Rotar, one of the talented emerging teams in Europe.
Herrera/Gavira started on the front foot to win the opening set 21-12, but their opponents turned the match on its head in the second set which they won 21-15. In the decider, however, the Spaniards won an edge of the seat thriller at 15-13.
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