ROME- The queen couple of Italian beach volleyball, the one made up of Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava, will be protagonists of the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024. The official confirmation came today after the results of the last tournament, the one in Xiamen in which the teams following the Italian tandem in the international ranking did not obtain the necessary points to oust them from the position that is worth qualification.
The Italian beach volleyball movement has therefore achieved another important result, obtained by the athletes and staff led by Simone Di Tommaso.
For the Italian coach and for Samuele Cottafava it will be the official debut at the Olympic Games, while for Paolo Nicolai it will be the fourth five-ring event after the editions of London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020. For the athlete from Ortona , the Silver medal won in 2016 on Copacabana beach with her then partner Daniele Lupo was unforgettable.
Two other Italian couples are in full swing for qualification for Paris 2024: Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi, and Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula, will play their chances in the next events of the Beach Pro Tour.
The words of the coach and the two players –
Simone Di Tommaso: « Although only the official status was missing, now having the certainty of being able to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is something exciting, which has repaid the efforts made over the last three years. It was certainly our goal at the beginning of the journey and having achieved it makes us very proud. Now comes the most delicate part. We will need to plan this important commitment in the best possible way. Now we will participate in all Elite16 events of the Beach Pro Tour, at least the ones up to Ostrava (Czech Republic, 5-9 June). This will then be followed by management of the pre-Olympic Games tournaments during which we will work to be in the best possible condition in view of Paris.”
Paolo Nicolai: « I feel great pride in what we have managed to achieve. Qualifying for the Olympic Games is a huge goal and achieving it for the fourth time in a row is something that fills me with joy. Even happier to have succeeded with a completely new group. The daily work done over the years by all the people who are part of the team has been fantastic. All this also gives us the strength to believe that it doesn’t end here. We are not satisfied with qualification. We can do well and have our say. We know that something important can be done. The focus on daily work will always be high. We are very happy but remain humble for what awaits us from today on ».
Samuele Cottafava: « Having managed to qualify for the Olympics is a very strong emotion, a dream come true. We have achieved this goal thanks to the great work carried out in recent years; we competed at a very high level and managed to remain in the world top ten, results which helped us obtain the points necessary for qualification. At this precise moment it is a feeling that I am experiencing peacefully, but my maximum concentration is on the next events that await us before the Games, but I am sure that the emotions will become increasingly stronger as the event gets closer. Participating in Paris alongside Paolo, who among other things has already played three five-ring events, I believe can be of great help, especially in managing the tournament from an emotional point of view. We will certainly give our best and try to compete like the other couples to obtain the best possible result ».
