Australia’s beach volleyball team full of confidence after knocking off world champions

Australian beach volleyball team Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar shocked the world on Tuesday, and now say they can “beat absolutely anybody in the world” before Thursday’s Olympic semi-final.

The Australian pair beat Canadian world champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes two sets to one in their quarter-final at Shiokaze Park on Tuesday. Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes won gold at the 2019 World championships and hadn’t conceded a single set at the Olympics before they played the Brisbane-based No.5 seeds.

Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy celebrate during their quarter-final.Credit: AP

It’s been over two decades since Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst famously won gold in the beach volleyball final at the Sydney Olympics.

After their unexpected victory against the world’s best, Clancy and Artacho Del Solar hope to emulate that performance, starting with Latvia’s Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina in their semi-final (11am AEST) on Thursday.

Artacho del Solar was born in Peru and migrated to Australia at the age of 11 while Clancy is a Wulli Wulli and Goreng Goreng woman from Kingaroy in Queensland.

The pair may come from different backgrounds but as children they shared the same idol, their now mentor and Sydney Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook.

Australia face Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina of Latvia in a semi-final on Thursday.Credit: Getty

Artacho del Solar’s path to the sport can be traced back to an inspirational postcard signed by Cook and Pottharst that was sent to her family in Peru before they emigrated to Australia.

Clancy discovered she was a gifted indoor volleyball player when she was in high school so her mother worked multiple odd jobs like folding junk mail and driving a forklift to move them to Brisbane so Clancy could attend the Queensland Academy of Sport, where she met Cook.

Artacho del Solar and Clancy have been playing together since 2017. Just by making the semi-finals the pair have already progressed further than any other Australian Olympic team since Athens in 2004.

Cook shed tears of joy and pride on Wednesday in an emotional video on her Facebook page.

“I don’t think I’ve seen or felt anything like I did, midnight last night,” Cook said. “I’m so proud of these girls. I’m proud of watching their journey, being a very small part of their journey.

“Kerri and I ... know exactly what they’re feeling right now. They’re handling it beautifully.”

The Australians lost a three-setter to Graudina and Kravcenoka last month in the Swiss town of Gstaad, which hosted the last world tour stop before the Games.

“The Latvian girls are playing really well, it’s going to be another really tough match,” Artacho del Solar said. “We’re in a different mindset now than in Gstaad and in a different stage of preparation.

“We’ve gone through a lot in the month since. We’re in a really good place – mentally, physically, emotionally – and ready to take revenge.”

With AAP

Never miss a medal or great sporting moment with our Olympic update emailed daily. Sign up for our Sport newsletter here.