Bello boys seal Youth Olympic Games spot

Javier and Joaquin Bello will represent England at the Youth Olympic Games this October in Buenos Aires. 

The brothers took a magnificent 5th place at last week's CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals in Austria to seal qualification in the beach volleyball at the Youth Olympic Games. 

Following on from a 5^th place finish at NEVZA and the great experiences gained on the World tour in Alanya, where they achieved their first World Tour win, Joaquin and Javier headed to the CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals. Teams from 23 nations were competing, who had all received placement through a qualification process, meaning the competition was far from straight-forward.

Javier and Joaquin Bello proved their class and showed their tournament experience. They knocked down Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary in Pool B on their journey to the Quarter finals. Here they faced a stern test against Czech Republic and were edged out 2-0 (22-20, 21-19). This meant they needed to beat the hosts, Austria, and Hungary to ensure of qualification. They sailed past Austria to ensure 5/6th playoff against Hungary.

As only the top 5 finishers would make the Youth Olympic Games, the pressure was really on. Javier and Joaquin kept their cool and displayed their growing maturity as they battled to a closely fought 2-0 victory (18-21, 20-22). Well done boys! 

It's a brilliant achievement to add to their burgeoning beach volleyball careers which has already seen the pair win gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games. 

In the women’s draw of the CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals, Holly Bentley and Ellie Austin had the honour of representing Team England. The pair fought hard against quality opposition in Pool D, but came up short against Austria, Italy and Norway (1-2, 0-2, 0-2 respectively). Italy went on to claim the silver medal, while Norway took the bronze. Although they didn't qualify for the Youth Olympic Games, they will have taken a lot out of the competition.

As well as gaining invaluable tournament experience, the biggest thing it that it will have proved the pair can compete against the best players. They were not blown away and should take much confidence as they look to keep developing their partnership and undoubted potential. 

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Bello boys seal Youth Olympic Games spot