Beach volleyballers bound for Rio Olympic Games
SOUTH Australian-based beach volleyballers Nicole Laird and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are the second team selected for Olympic Games in Rio next month.
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South Australian-based beach volleyballers Nicole Laird and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are the second team selected for Olympic Games in Rio next month.
The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed the selection of Laird and del Solar, following their success as part of the Australian team at last weekend’s Continental Olympic qualifiers in Cairns.
It will be the first Olympics for both Laird, 23, and del Solar, 22, who are the reigning U23 World Champions, and who will join fellow Volleyroos, Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy, in Rio.
“There’s been lots of sacrifices, lots of prioritising, but the important thing has been to stay focused about what is important as a team, what’s coming,” Laird said.
“Mariafe and myself, we’ve been through a lot as a team. We’ve been together for about three years now, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and each other, and that’s been crucial to get us where we are today.
“It’s the pride of reaching the absolute pinnacle of our sport. We are in the company of some absolutely incredible athletes.”
The selection of 22-year-old del Solar is the latest step in an incredible journey for the Peruvian-born athlete, who was told when she first tried out for beach volleyball that she was too short to ever make it to the top level.
She had a message for those who never believed in her.
“Thank you so much for telling me I couldn’t make it, because that is why I am here today,” del Solar said.
“You are always going to have those people who don’t believe in you, but you will always have those people who do believe in you, and those are the people you stick by.
“These are the moments that make it so much special — family, friends, Volleyball Australia, and everyone who has stuck with us for the past three years.”
Laird and del Solar call Adelaide home these days, having re-located from Sydney to join beach volleyball’s high performance program.
Originally published as Beach volleyballers bound for Rio Olympic Games
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