‘I want more’: Aussie beach volleyballer’s golden quest
Steve Larkin |
Australian beach volleyball stalwart Taliqua Clancy is grateful, but still hunting a missing piece in her decorated career.
Clancy will contest the world championships in Adelaide starting Friday driven by her search for a gold medal at a global titles.
The 33-year-old has an Olympic silver medal, a world championship bronze and two Commonwealth Games silvers.
Clancy will compete in Adelaide with a new partner – world title debutant Jana Milutinovic – with her long-time ally Mariafe Artacho del Solar giving birth to her first child last August.
“As much as I have had great results … I still haven’t got that gold medal yet,” Clancy told AAP.
“I am still very grateful for everything that I have achieved.
“But there’s still that part that feels like I am really fired up; there’s still that drive that I really want to achieve more.”
Clancy said her on-court connection with 24-year-old Adelaide native Milutinovic was continuing to blossom ahead of the worlds, to be staged on courts built on the banks of the River Torrens.
“There are definitely challenges with first-time experience but that’s the beauty of the game, that’s why we play high performance sport – to take on the challenges,” Clancy said.
“But the connection is good and we just keep growing. That is the whole point of what we do, keep growing point by point and hopefully that gets us a win at each set.”
Clancy said having the worlds in her home country was a proverbial double-edged sword.
“It’s nice to have a home advantage and I know there will be moments that will definitely score us some extra points which will be really important,” she said.
“And it will be even more special to have family and friends all here.
“But it’s also just business as well, it’s important to stay the course and stay really focused.
“Sometimes I feel a bit, not rude, but you’re just so focused and you want to stay in your bubble – everybody is really excited around you, but you just really want to stay in the zone.”
At the 10-day championships, Clancy and Milutinovic are among nine Australian teams – four women’s and five men’s, the most ever at a world titles.
The Australian contingent features a dozen worlds debutants in a positive pointer to the strength of the sport with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics on the distant horizon.
“There is so much talent in Australia right now,” Clancy said.
“It’s awesome to give them that little bit of a taste and hopefully even motivate somebody who is sitting in the stands to want to try beach volleyball and who could end up competing in 2032.
“I know that was true for me, watching Sydney in 2000 was where my Olympic dream started and I wouldn’t be on this journey if it wasn’t for that.”
AAP
