Bello Brothers Achieve Historic Victory in Rio Beach Volleyball Tournament

Twin brothers Javier and Joaquin Bello advanced through qualifying rounds to secure victory at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour – Elite 16 tournament in Rio de Janeiro. Javier and Joaquin Bello, both 24, have consistently felt like underdogs, akin to David facing Goliath, whenever they compete. Emulating the fearless Biblical shepherd, the brothers achieved a significant upset, battling through qualifying to become the first British players ever to win an elite international beach volleyball event. This achievement marks another milestone for the brothers from south-west London, who previously earned England’s first Commonwealth Games medal in the sport by claiming bronze in Birmingham two years ago. Their participation in Brazil was contingent on a substantial risk. Javier stated, “It’s a very, very expensive tournament and our budget has already run out for the year, so we paid for that ourselves.” He added, “If you lose the first round qualifier, you go home with nothing. No prize money, no place to stay that night, nothing. We had the opportunity to go and we didn’t want to feel any regret. We always feel a little bit like David v Goliath on court.” Born in Madrid, the Bellos began playing volleyball at age six and relocated with their family to London when they were 10 years old. Their father and coach, Luis Bello, was a professional indoor volleyball player. Additionally, their cousin, Miguel Angel De Amo, achieved world champion status in beach volleyball at the youth level and plays for the Spanish indoor national team. With a strong family connection to the sport, they recognized early on that this was the career path they wished to pursue. They share a residence, compete together, and travel together. Javier commented, “We have a connection [as twins] and that’s definitely a big – probably our biggest – strength. Not only in a technical and tactical sense, but also in the emotional sense, we feel very united.” The Bellos conduct their training at an open-air court located at Barn Elms Sports Centre, a London 2012 legacy venue situated near the River Thames. Their operations are largely self-funded. Javier stated, “We don’t have funding to that level [of players in other nations].” He continued, “So we created our own kind of high performance centre in our house, in our living room and with our family. Most of our support group is there, so that’s a big advantage – probably the only reason that we are where we are today is because of their support, their sacrifices.” A prerequisite for their parents’ support of their athletic aspirations was that both brothers obtain academic qualifications, providing them with alternative career options. Joaquin holds a degree in medicine, and Javier is currently in his final year pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communications. Following their Commonwealth bronze medal win in 2022, the brothers transitioned to full-time play in March of the current year. They nearly secured a spot to compete near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which would have made them the first British male pair to qualify for an Olympic Games. Joaquin remarked, “Unfortunately this cycle caught us a little bit early. If we’d been able to start full-time a few months earlier I think we would easily have been in because of the level we’re playing at now.” However, any disappointment was brief, overshadowed by their remarkable victory at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour – Elite 16 tournament in Rio. In the semi-finals, they caused an upset by defeating the Norwegian team of Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, who are Olympic gold and bronze medalists and currently ranked second globally. A 2-1 victory in the final against Argentinian brothers Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso secured the trophy for them and is projected to elevate their world ranking to 16th. The brothers are presently in the Philippines for their subsequent event. They have now qualified for the Beach Tour Pro finals, scheduled for next month in Doha, Qatar. Their attention will then shift to qualifying for the world championships, which will take place next year in Adelaide, Australia. Javier commented, “We should be reaching a physical peak in the next Olympic cycle, perhaps even the next one after that as well. What we’re working on now is just consistency and being able to get those top results more often. It’s still a long time, hopefully, left in our careers and we’re trying to get our project to be more sustainable financially.” Following a successful King and Queen of the Court event in London’s Canary Wharf in September, and with the prospect of additional events in the capital next year, Javier and Joaquin believe the sport is well-positioned for growth in the UK, encouraging younger generations to participate. However, they will not have the opportunity to defend or improve upon their Commonwealth bronze medal in Glasgow in 2026, as beach volleyball has been excluded from the revised list of sports for the rearranged Games. Javier expressed, “It’s a shame because we think it would be really successful at these Games.” Joaquin further stated, “Now we’re at the stage where we were aiming for gold. But [in] maybe 2030, we’ll see.”