Brazilian beach volleyball defending champions said Wednesday they don't feel pressure of defending the title and know how to play at the Beijing Olympics.
"I don't feel pressure. We know how to play." Emanuel Rego said after a training session at the Chaoyang Park beach volleyball ground on Wednesday.
The 1.9-meter Rego, paired up with Ricardo Santos, is looking forward to repeat their glory in Beijing for Brazil, which has dominated the fan-favorite sport for more than a decade along with the United States.
But the Athens Games gold medalists admitted that the way to defend the title in the Chinese capital will be rough.
Most of the rivals are hard to play against this time, Rego told Xinhua. The U.S. pair Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser is a very powerful challenger, and the Chinese team Xu Linyin/Wu Penggen is also tough, he said.
The Brazilians were placed second in the qualifying ranking for the Beijing Olympics, falling behind Rogers/Dalhausser, the 2007 world champions, who are also coveting the gold medal.
The beach volleyball competition at the Beijing Olympics will be very fierce and many teams are equal in strength, coaches and players have said. It's hard to forecast who will win and elimination of any team would be no surprise, they said.
Since starting cooperation in 2002, the two Brazilians have been pretty consistent, winning 24 FIVB events, including 23 FIVB World Tour gold medals and the 2003 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. The duo was also honored the FIVB Team of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
With the momentum of winning in world-class events in the past years, the reigning champion duo appeared confident to win the defending battle.
The rivals are making progress but they are also going forward, the pair said. "We have been making evolutions in the past year," Rego said.
"And I like the big challenges," said Rego, who tracked down almost every shot from the rivals in the final in Athens Olympics.
Rego, who began playing beach volleyball at the age of 18, said he enjoys playing beach volleyball very much. "Beach volleyball is a very young sport, everybody can enjoy it."
Ricardo Santos claimed the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 with his former partner Ze Marco de Melo. The 2-meter Brazilian is dubbed "the Block Machine" due to his efficiency at the net.
Santos said he found the hot weather in Beijing, which could be a headache for many teams, could be an advantage for him and Santos.
"The weather is hot, but it's good for us because we Brazilians are used to play in heat," he said.
"I enjoy playing on the sand, the heat and the Olympic atmosphere in Beijing," said the 33-year-old.
(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2008)