Javier and Joaquin Bello: Year in review

With a place in the quater finals at the European championships, medals at Beach Pro Tour Challenger, Goa and being four time British champions at UKBT finals in Bournemouth, Javier and Joaquin Bello have had a extremely busy year! They have achieved so much and finish 2023 ranked 41st in the world.

After taking part in so many competitions the Bellos spoke about their highlights of 2023 and what they are most proud of. 

"Reaching the quarterfinals in our first European Championships was our best moment. We had to go through some of the top teams in the world, Olympic medallists, and world champions from the Netherlands to get there".

"What made it even more special was being able to share that moment with our family and our team who were all there supporting us in Vienna". 

The whole event was spectacular, and we are so happy to have experienced it and put on a good performance for the people who make everything possible.

Traveling the globe and competing against the highest level of competition the pair have gained a lot of experience which has helped them develop over this year. 

“We have both gained a lot of experience competing in the higher levels of the Beach Pro Tour and taking England to new heights”. 

“Part of this allows us to hang out with other teams and coaches which also helped us to make good connections and learn from players who have inspired us over the years”.

With 2024 being an Olympic year we asked the Bellos about their hopes about the potential for being part of the summer games in Paris.

“We are excited to be in contention for our first Olympic Games. We will take every chance available to qualify, via either the Olympic ranking or continental qualification pathway”. 

“The Olympic qualification period is the most exciting and most challenging time in our sport, with all the top teams competing towards the same goal”.

“We aim to keep progressing and reach even higher milestones for our country; Performance, Rankings, helping to grow the game and inspire others”.

Also looking ahead to 2024 the pair spoke about where they hope to be this time next year.

“It’s always difficult to predict what will happen, but we are confident in our preparation and focused on what we can do to maximise our chances of success”. 

“At the beginning of this year, we would not have predicted reaching the top 40 in the World Ranking or medalling at a Beach Pro Tour Challenge event, so we know the sky is the limit if we trust and apply ourselves to the process”.

With their level of performance increasing and requirements of fitness, the brothers will always face challenges and they spoke about how they look to overcome these.

“One of our main difficulties has been training in very cold conditions for some periods in the year. It can be very physically and mentally draining, but it also makes us stronger and brings us together as a team”.

The requirements of playing at this level for the pair require these cold mornings and relentless days of training. The pair are also studying at university and they explain how they keep the balance between everything. 

“Keeping to our training schedule while managing our academic commitments has required a lot of discipline and some sacrifices from all of us”. 

“Joaquin is just a few months away from finishing his Medicine studies at Imperial College, which will relieve a lot of pressure and allow us to focus fully on the Olympic qualification and beyond”.

Volleyball England hopes 2024 is an exciting and rewarding year for the pair with great opportunities for them across Europe and the globe.