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Beach volleyball 05/07/2013

Laciga sees young teams going far in men’s World Champs

Lausanne,
Switzerland, July 5, 2013 - As we approach the single elimination phase of the
Beach Volleyball World Championships in Stare Jablonki, Switzerland’s Martin
Laciga tells FIVB.org why he believes there is a greater likelihood of the
younger teams making a mark in the men's competition this year.
“At the World
Championships this year we are seeing teams with varying levels of experience
than ever before. While it is still difficult to say who will win, I believe
that the younger teams will have more of an opportunity to make their mark in
the men’s competition this year.

“Although Alison
and Emanuel are in the running for the World Championship title, I am not sure
about their consistency. They had a good run in Rome but had a few problems
finding their rhythm early on in Stare Jablonki. But they know how to play in the World
Championships and they will only get stronger as the tournament goes on. They
had three wins in their pools and this will give them the confidence.

“The Dutch pair Nummerdor
and Schuil is stronger now compared to Rome and they have improved a lot. They
are starting to get back their confidence but I do not know if this is enough
to keep a high level game. They played a close match against the German team
and although they won, it was evident that it took a lot of energy out of them.
No doubt they are experienced players but they need more than just two or three
competitions this season to take them far in the Championship this week.

“The younger teams,
like Poland’s Kantor and Losiak on the other hand are more powerful and have
more of a chance to reach the semifinals this year. I believe that the crowd will help Fijalek and Prudel to give their best performance. They always like to play on their home ground and this will give them an extra boost.

“Latvians Smedins
and Somoilovs really fit together well and have managed to win two close games
in the competition. As the leader of the pool it will get easier for them as
they go along. But I do wonder how long
they can keep up the pace as they play an extremely physical game. They are
aggressive with a high block and this takes a lot of energy. It helps that they are playing only one or
two games a day and it should allow them to conserve their energy until the
end of the Championship.

“Last year’s
finalists, Austrians Doppler-Horst, are also in with a chance judging from
their performance to date. I know from
experience that it always good to come back to a place where you have played
some of your best games. It gives you a lot of confidence and for me they are a
team that could pull a surprise win out of the hat at these Championships.

“Spain’s Pablo
Herrera and Adrian Gavira put in a particularly amazing performance in these
World Championships as they have not been playing at their best lately on
account of Pablo’s knee problems. They
have been in a tough pool with Pedro and Bruno and have managed to make an
excellent come back.

“The results of the
Mexican team of Virgen-Ontiveros have taken some by surprise. These two players
love to play the big events and are usually on fire when there are the big games to
win.

“It’s going to be
an interesting race to the finish line. And I can’t wait to see the final
result.”

Martin Laciga is a recently retired beach volleyball
player from Switzerland. Partnering with his older sibling Paul, the Laciga
brother won the silver medal in the men's beach team competition at the 1999
Beach Volleyball World Championships in Marseille, France. He has represented
Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Athens where he placed fifth and
Beijing where he finished ninth. He has also competed in seven FIVB World
Championships (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011) and has won six
international gold medals.

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