CEV EuroBeachVolley 2023 preview: Bellos ready for Vienna as Birmingham bronze anniversary looms

It’s almost exactly a year since the Bello brothers won their oh-so memorable Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medals on the Smithfield sands, but there’s precious little let-up since then in the pair’s quest to reach the top.

Twins Javier and Joaquin, who turned 23 a couple of weeks ago, have already played a plethora of tournaments this year on the Beach Pro Tour, worn the colours of England in the CEV Nations Cup and competed in a number of other events, including Latvia’s DEPO Open, where they were overall winners under the floodlights at the back end of June.  

That's not to mention the countless hours they devote to training, honing their skills under the watchful eye of dad and coach Luis, from their West London base. 

Their latest challenge is one they are particularly looking forward to and is a focal point for their season - the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2023, which gets underway in Vienna this week. 

With their matches starting on Thursday, the pair have already made their way to the Austrian capital in a bid to acclimatise and give themselves the best possible opportunity of success. 

They will face Spain, the country of their birth, first up in Pool H, as they line up against Herrera and Gavira, while two Austrian pairings in the shape of Horl and Horst Leitner and Pascariuc, complete the group. 

“This European Championships has been our biggest objective this season,” said Joaquin, a student of Medicine at the Imperial College School of Medicine. 

“Firstly, to qualify England for the first time since 2017 was important, and we have been working hard in our preparation. We want to have strong performances and make it as far as possible in the competition. 

“We have played in Austria a couple of times before (Baden) and it has always been amazing, with very well-organised events. 

“There is a really passionate beach volleyball community and great fans here, which makes it even more special for us players.” 

Javier, who has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Royal Holloway University, insists the brothers are trying not to look too far ahead as they look to measure their progress against some of the best players in the world. 

He knows that while the brothers continue to make their mark on the international stage, the aim, eventually, is to make it into the very top echelon of players – and stay there. 

He said: “We are really happy about the progress we are making this year and the level we have shown, but we know that we have another step to take if we want to be competitive against the best teams in the world. 

“Our main expectation is to perform at our best. We know that if we do that, we will have opportunities to advance really far into the tournament and challenge the top teams. 

“It’s our first European Championship, so we are really hungry and excited, and we would consider a top 10 result a success – but that's definitely not our limit!” 

The brothers may not necessarily have the crowd on their side for their matches against two home pairs, but they know they will nonetheless have the backing of the Beach Volleyball Community back home.   

“We want to give a huge shout out to our whole team and everyone supporting us,” said Joaquin.   

“Thank you for believing in us and being such a crucial part of our success. Let’s keep making history together this week in Vienna and in the years to come!” 

If the brothers can excel on their trip to Central Europe, then it is likely to rank as their biggest career highlight to date. 

For now, though, that firmly remains earning their place on the Commonwealth Games podium, memories which have been stirred as the one-year anniversary (7th August) approaches.

Javier said: “Winning that bronze last year was the most special moment in our career so far. The memories from Birmingham will be with us for a very long time, not only because of what we achieved, but for what it meant for beach volleyball in England. 

“It’s the growth of the sport that we continue to see - inspiring young players - and sharing a historic moment with all our friends, family and community that made it so special.” 

You can watch the Bellos in action from Thursday on eurovolley.tv (subscription required), with their opening match beginning at 1pm local time (12noon in the UK).