Australian men’s beach volleyballers McHugh and Damien Schumann named for Tokyo

Truck driving, school teaching, four knee operations, shoulder surgery, one bub with another on the way and a pandemic pause have made this one wild ride to Tokyo.

Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann. Picture: Emma Brasier

Just when they thought things were falling apart, things were falling into place for Australian men’s beach volleyball pairing Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann.

On Saturday, the pair was named Australia’s first male Olympic beach volleyballers since 2008.

Schumann and McHugh join women’s pair Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy to complete the four-strong Australian Beach Volleyball team for Tokyo.

But what a journey for the pairing who are now in lockdown on the Gold Coast after Australia cemented the final quota spot of the Games in Thailand last week.

They will have three days out of quarantine before packing their bags for Tokyo.

Shifts spent truck driving and school teaching, four knee operations, shoulder surgery, one bub with another on the way and a pandemic pause are part of the pair’s backstory.

Oh, and a break-up.

Chris McHugh and Damien Schumann have been on a wild ride. Photo: Damian Shaw

The pair was forced to split just six weeks after winning gold on the Gold Coast at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in a bid to qualify two pairings for the 2020 Olympics.

But after trialling different pairings over two years, the pair was summoned to the sport’s headquarters in Adelaide and told to reform.

To which they responded by hitting the sand running.

For McHugh, 31, the selection was a humbling experience.

“This Olympic cycle has been one of the most challenging periods of my life and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world,” he said.

“I have become a father (to Jack) … I’ve had a shoulder reconstruction, four knee surgeries in 10 months, won a Commonwealth Games gold medal.

“I’ve switched teams twice and then like everyone else having to deal with Covid for the last 18 months.”

Oh and also expand his family. McHugh and his wife are expecting again in October.

“Talk about an understanding wife … a toddler and one due and I’m disappearing for 10 weeks.

Damien Schumann and Chris McHugh are off to the Olympics. Picture: Damian Shaw

“The Covid break is a period of time I would not take back as it gave me the time to spend with my young family without travel and work on my body.”

For Australia to qualify, the teams of McHugh/Schumann and Max Guehrer/Zach Schubert both won their respective matches against Indonesia at the Continental Cup in Thailand.

Schumann said: “It was a crazy, qualifying process but we also can’t thank Max and Zach enough for helping us get there.

“We had to perform and qualify as a team so we’ll also be representing them in Japan.”

“We climbed our own little Everest! And we’ve had a pretty full-on taste of what quarantine will be like during competition in Thailand so I feel we’re ready.”

McHugh added: “It’s so amazing … it ill feels a little surreal. It’s been such a journey.”

The interrupted international pause on competition saw McHugh and Schumann spend time truck driving and school teaching before the pair won this year’s national championships.

As part of the Olympic playbook released this year, which included advice from the World Health Organisation, singing and chanting will be banned at Tokyo.

Athletes will be expected to take a coronavirus test 72 hours before their departure for Tokyo and show a negative result on arrival.

Originally published as Australian men’s beach volleyballers McHugh and Damien Schumann named for Tokyo