Marcio Araujo Teams Up with Ricardo Santos to Win the Bronze
While the media’s attention is focusing on the American teams at the beach volleyball Gstaad AVP tournament, in Switzerland that ended this week, Brazil was able to shine as well. The closely highly ranked FIVB No. 11 Brazilian team Marcio Araujo and Ricardo Santos were the bronze medalists of the event.
The match lasted only 43 minutes, but meant everything to the Brazilians. It signified defeating Poland 21-16, 21-15 in order to get to the podium, and gaining the Bronze medal--a title.
The Brazilian stars were previously teamed up with different partners, a notable change for this major event. Santos used to play with Emanuel Rego, and Araujo with Fabio Magalhaes.
Araujo steps out in 2005
Araujo, the famous Brazilian beach volleyball player who began his career in 1996, became widely known only nine years later, in 2005. The Brazilian then won the gold medal at the men beach’s competition SWATCH-FIVB World Championship in Berlin with Magalhaes. The duo had actually began the Championship by losing one match, but then managed to win nine-straight matches, enabling Brazil to gain its fourth World Championship title. Araujo earned the title of FIVB best defensive player that year.
Then, in 2005 and 2006 during the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour seasons, the Brazilain team Araujo/ Magalhaes gained seven gold medals out of 28 international events. They won a total of 17 medals, and were in the final four competitors 19 times.
Araujo has also other achievements before his breakthrough of 2005, such as a FIVB medal in 2004. He also represented Brazil during the Summer Olympics of the same year, in Athens, Greece. He had the year before won the bronze medal with Benjamin Insfran at the 2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Brazilian Araujo is now considered to be one of the best defensive players in the world, and gained the FIVB best setter title in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
While having played with his countryman Magalhaes during those major events, he partnered with Santos, another legend of the Brazilian beach volleyball, this year in Gstaad.
Santos an Olympic veteran
Santos, known as “The Wall”, has participated in two Olympics, winning a silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games and a gold medal at the Athens 2004 Games. While Araujo won the bronze at the 2003 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Santos was the one who carried the gold medal around his neck. Santos is quite known for changing partners often, and has had a total of six different partners, including his latest partnership with Araujo. His most recent partner was Emanuel Rego, with whom he played from 2002 to 2006.
Santos’ style however makes quite a difference in Araujo’s game play. While Araujo shows denoted talent defensively, Santos has won many titles for his impressive offensive output. At the Circuito Banco do Brasil, he has indeed won titles as best attacker in 2000 and 2004, top blocker from 1999 to 2001 and in 2003, and best player in 2005—the year that Araujo won with his gold medal in Berlin.
The new Araujo/Santos team thus seems to have a perfect balance between a brilliant defense and an aggressive attack. This was of course seen on the volleyball beaches of Switzerland, as they former partners were eliminated in earlier stages of the competition. The two will however get another chance to win the gold medal next week, during the upcoming AVP tour event in Marseille, France.
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