Five-time Olympian Herrera and those who follow
Feature
Perhaps Spain’s Pablo Herrera & Adrian Gavira should have been in the spotlight last week, among the European men’s teams to watch at Tokyo 2020, along with Italy’s two-time Olympians Paolo Nicolai & Daniele Lupo and some great, but less experienced pairs, but Herrera himself is so unique as an individual athlete that he deserves to be singled out in today’s article, where I present the five-time Olympian and the remaining European players for whom Tokyo 2020 will be at least the third Olympic appearance.
39-year-old Pablo Herrera and his 33-year-old partner Adrian Gavira have been an item for so long that some of the younger beach volleyball fans probably find it hard to imagine that there was a Pablo Herrera in the pre-Gavira era too. Not only there was, but that Pablo played at two Olympic Games and, together with Javier Bosma, they became the first European pair to reach an Olympic final. That Athens 2004 silver was Herrera’s best result out of as many as four Olympic participations. At Beijing 2008, he and Raul Mesa finished ninth. At the following two editions, London 2012 and Rio 2016, Herrera played with Gavira, with a ninth-place finish on both occasions.
Early into his international career, Pablo Herrera and Raul Mesa claimed silver at the 2001 U21 World Championship. In 2002, they became world champions in the same age category. In 2004, the young Spaniards celebrated as U23 European champions, and just a year later, they sat on the senior throne of Europe. Later on, along with Gavira, Pablo Herrera made the EuroBeachVolley podium three more times, once with the gold in 2013 and twice with the bronze.
On the World Tour, Herrera picked up five gold, seven silver and 11 bronze medals. Of them, three golds, seven silvers and 10 bronzes came out of his partnership with Gavira, which is now well into its 13th season.
Pablo Herrera & Adrian Gavira“At Rio 2016 we said goodbye to the Olympic sand without knowing if we would be able to enjoy such a special tournament again. And five years later we can say with great pride that we will be in Tokyo and we promise that in Japan we will give everything we have. A new Olympic experience begins.”
Spain
36-year-old Martins Plavins is another Olympic medallist set to compete at Tokyo 2020. The well-seasoned Latvian athlete first appeared at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where he and Aleksandrs Samoilovs achieved a ninth-place finish. At London 2012, Plavins, in partnership with Janis Smedins, made an incredible run for the podium, finishing with the bronze in the greatest beach volleyball achievement in their country’s history.
In their youth years, Plavins & Samoilovs earned the U20 European title in 2004, and the U23 continental crown and the U21 World Championship gold in 2005. In 2010, Plavins & Smedins snatched a EuroBeachVolley bronze. At the first European Games in 2015, Plavins celebrated on top of the podium alongside Haralds Regza. In addition, Plavins’s World Tour showcase displays three gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
He earned his spot at Tokyo 2020 at the 2019 Olympic qualification tournament in Haiyang together with Edgars Tocs, who will make his Olympic debut at the age of 32.
Martins Plavins“It was so hard for me to miss Rio 2016, but now it feels so amazing to be back. All the credit to Edgars because it’s not easy playing with me, but somehow he manages to do it. With positive emotions, we go to a tournament that can change lives. All we have to do is prepare and not think too much...”
Latvia
At the age of 32, Konstantin Semenov is about to appear at his third Olympic Games, after falling just short of the podium at his second one five years ago. At London 2012, the Russian athlete made his Olympic debut alongside Serguei Prokopyev. They finished ninth. Four years later, at Rio 2016, Konstantin Semenov & Viacheslav Krasilnikov reached the semifinals, but narrowly lost their last two matches to finish in fourth place, which was still Russia’s best ever result at the Games.
Semenov’s overall medal count on the World Tour includes four gold, four silver and five bronze finishes. He has been on the European Championship podium twice, as a runner-up on both occasions. His first continental silver came in 2016, when he played with Krasilnikov, and his second – in 2019 with Ilya Leshukov as a teammate. 25-year-old Olympic rookie Leshukov will be Semenov’s partner at Tokyo 2020.
Konstantin Semenov“My first time at the Olympics was a lot more emotional. We got to see what the Olympic atmosphere was like. We had had only one month to prepare, unlike the other teams. The second time was different. Krasilnikov and I had prepared well and we were so close to getting a medal. We lost our semifinal by two points. Very sad, but that’s life!”
Russia
Tokyo 2020 will be the third Olympic Games for 34-year-old Grzegorz Fijalek as well. He and Mariusz Prudel reached the quarterfinals of the London 2012 Olympic tournament. Four years later, at Rio 2016, Fijalek & Prudel registered a 17th place finish.
In his junior years, with various partners, Fijalek took a U19 World Championship bronze and two silvers and a bronze from youth European Championships, before he and Prudel finally celebrated on top of the podium at the 2008 U23 European Championship. Later on, in 2013 and in 2016, the Polish pair claimed two EuroBeachVolley bronze medals. In his career so far, Grzegorz Fijalek has collected two gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals on the World Tour.
He qualified for Tokyo 2020 together with his current partner, 26-year-old Michal Bryl. They teamed up in 2017 and eventually finished as the number five team in the ranking for the Olympics.