Crowned as the U19 world champions in 2021, the young French were one of three teams from their country to qualify for the tournament that takes place at the Danube Island and celebrated the first step to joining the top of the sport.
“For us, it’s amazing to have the opportunity of being at our first EuroBeachVolley. Playing here in this incredible atmosphere and in front of so many fans in Vienna and facing the best teams in the continent is incredible. We’re trying to win every point we can and see how far we can get.” - Téo Rotar
The young French had a positive first day in Vienna, defeating Estonians Kusti Nolvar and Mart Tiisaar in straight sets (22-20, 21-19) and falling to defending champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden also in two sets (15-21, 17-21). The results qualified Canet and Rotar for the Round of 24 and will give the two the opportunity to compete for at least another day on the EuroBeachVolley, the biggest tournament in their careers so far.
“We expect we can take a lot of experience from this event and also that we can play at our best level. We know we can get a good result here, but we’re playing every point with a lot of energy and having fun in every play. We’re really happy to be here.” - Arthur Canet
Canet and Rotar, who will also compete at next week’s U20 EuroBeachVolley in Riga, Latvia, won a pair of medals in Age Group tournaments in 2022, finishing third at the U19 World Championship and second at the U20 EuroBeachVolley. The two started competing internationally in 2021 and already have some good results to show for, including a fifth-place finish at last year’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Cape Town and another fifth at this year’s Edmonton Challenge, held just two weeks ago in Canada. For now, they will simultaneously approach the goals of continuing to succeed in Age Group events and solidifying their places among the top of the sport.
“This year we’re still going to play at the U20 EuroBeachVolley and the U21 World Championship, so these are our more immediate goals. We also want to keep playing on the Beach Pro Tour as much as we can so we continue to improve. We’ll see what happens.” - Arthur Canet
The French have another ambitious goal for the near future – competing at next year’s Paris Olympics. The host country will have one or two men’s teams at the Olympic tournament and there are at least four duos in contention, but if Canet and Rotar continue to rise at the current pace, anything is possible.
“We have the opportunity of being selected to represent France at the Paris 2024 Games and we’re fighting in every tournament to get the best possible results. It would be a dream yet. It’s not clear how the French team will be selected, so all we can do is play well and show that we’re capable of representing our country well.” - Téo Rotar
