Baden, Austria, June 9, 2018. Despite not being among the pre-favourites at the CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals in Baden, England’s Luis Javier and Joaquin Bello took the Strandbad stage by surprise, advancing straight to the quarterfinals phase after winning all of their matches in Pool B against Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary. While they are yet to make a name for themselves on the European courts, the two brothers have entered the competition with some successes of their own, after they claimed the gold medal from the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games at the Bahamas.
 
Born in Spain, the twin brothers began their beach volleyball journey at the age of six under the wings of their father, who has been coaching them since the beginning. The family moved to the United Kingdom when the boys were 10 years old and the two brothers continued their further career in London. Now representing England, Luis Javier and Joaquin Bello hope to continue their journey on the sand as long as possible alongside their chosen careers. 

Luis Javier admits it is the Spanish “school” of volleyball that influenced their style the most. “Our dad was our coach and he is Spanish, so there is a lot of influence of their style in our game,” he said. “He taught us to focus a lot on control and technique, so rather than depending on being the tallest and strongest, make sure you keep control of the ball,” adds Joaquin. Their style helped them to win gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games and is paying off in Baden as the team has reached the Quarterfinal Phase. There they faced their first loss, when Czech Republic’s Jiri Sedlak/Patrik Manas defeated them 2-0 (22-20, 21-18). While the podium is out of reach, Luis and Joaquin still have a chance to finish 5th in the competition and win the last ticket to the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.  

But at the Bahamas the Bello brothers were facing different teams as the roster included Australia, Bahamas, Cyprus, England, Ghana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. Differences between opponents at the Bahamas and Baden were apparent for Luis Javier and Joaquin as the different background of the teams in both tournaments has a big role in their style of play. “At the Youth Commonwealth Games all of the teams had beach volleyball background only, they just spent hours and days on the beach. They are more crafty and have a bit more experience in what they do on the sand, whereas a lot of guys here in Baden have indoor volleyball background and tend to spike strong and high,” explains Joaquin. “Teams in Baden are more competitive, they are more solid, professional and physically stronger,” said Luis. But differences in style are not a negative thing for the Bellos’ development, says Joaquin: “Both styles are challenging and great to play and measure yourself against.” 

The English team is no different to other players at the CEV Continental Cup Finals when it comes to having indoor volleyball background. In their case it became an alternative to stay in play throughout the winter as London, where the two brothers are based, lacks indoor facilities for beach volleyball. “We are happy to combine it if we can keep playing until it doesn’t work anymore,” explains Luis. But their heart is where the sand is. “We are much better at beach volleyball. On the sand we feel we can compete with any team, while in indoor ultimately there is only a certain level we can reach,” said Joaquin.

While a professional career in indoor volleyball is not a question, both players have ideas on how to continue playing beach volleyball alongside their other choices for professional life. Joaquin wants to study medicine, while Luis is interested in economics and politics. Both brothers aim to study in London and are in the middle of their exam session. Joaquin is missing out on his biology exam in order to be in Baden. Full time studying in London is not their only plan as the two brothers hope to build an indoor court for beach volleyball there. “This is where most of the people playing beach volleyball in England are based. If we can make it happen, we could play beach volleyball full time,” said Joaquin.  

But before the Bello brothers will move onto higher education and plan to change the stage of beach volleyball in London, they have yet another goal this weekend - win the last ticket to Buenos Aires that is still up for grabs. On Sunday, England will compete against Austria's Laurenz Leitner/Theo Reiter in the Loser Semifinal round, with the side emerging victorious playing for the 5th place against the winner of the matchup between Filip John/Lukas Pfretzschner (GER) and Artur Hajós/Bence Attila Stréli (HUN).