Brazilians Ricardo and Marcio part ways after 2011 Moscow Grand Slam – Volleyball news
Reports have revealed that Brazil’s top male beach volleyball duo of Ricardo Costa Santos and Marcio Barroso Araujo will opt for different partners after the completion of the on-going 2011 SWATCH FIVB Moscow Grand Slam.
The news is unexpected because Ricardo and Marcio have done very well in the previous one and half years as they gained the status of co-world champions in the running season. However, the partnership will not last any long as Ricardo himself has confirmed
the news.
Ricardo has stated that he is actually pulling the plug after feeling the need of a better partner. In their tenure together, Ricardo and Marcio have settled for silver at the 2011 World Championship in Rome, Italy. Afterwards, they climbed up to the top
position and got hold of the title trophy at the SWATCH FIVB Stavanger Grand Slam in Norway.
Ricardo is of the opinion that it is time that he should join a partner, who can perform better than his current team-mate. He said, “It just does not feel good. Now is the right moment to change, so we will have enough time to prepare for the Olympics in
London next year. I evaluated the past 1,5 year and talked to the technical coaches at the Brazilian team. And they think that the combination with Cunha will work better.”
Ricardo also thinks that Harley or Cunha would be better replacements for Marcio. Even though he has not yet decided his new partner, it is likely that Ricardo will form a partnership with Pedro Cunha.
Speaking of the need for a new partner, Ricardo said on Thursday that he needed new motivation for his career. He has had eight successful years with his former partner, Emanuel Rego, and he plans to continue with that success. He is clearly targeting the
Olympic Title and needed to make a change now in order to be in top form by the London Olympics.
On the other hand, Marcio is not happy about Ricardo’s decision because he still unsure of the reasons behind the shocking move. He was quite satisfied about their second and first position finish in the running season. Marcio was asked a question about
facing any difficulty in the Moscow Grand Slam because of the present scenario and he replied, “I have no problem staying focussed here. I am a professional, no problem.”
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