Becoming the sensation of the moment on the sand, the Cuban duo of Noslen Diaz and Jorge Luis Alayo achieved today their second success in the Olympic beach volleyball tournament, this time with a 2-0 score over Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Souto.
The revenge of what happened in the final of the Pan American Games of Santiago 2023 brought them double satisfaction, in front of an enthusiastic audience that defied temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius and filled the stands at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
With a strategy very similar to the one used in his debut, Alayo once again stood as an insurmountable “wall” in the net defense, while his teammate masterfully covered the most distant spaces in the field.
On the other side, the experienced Brazilians were left without answers, and were forced to sign the capitulation with wide scores of 21-13 and 21-18.
Diaz and Alayo made their debut on the Parisian sand with another impressive 2-0 win over Americans Andy Benesh and Miles Partain and a victory over Moroccans Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui would shore up their undefeated leadership in group D, because the pass to the next phase is already in their pockets.
The “battle of Paris” evened the balance between Cubans and Brazilians at two wins each side, which had never before had a duel settled in only two sets.
“Now it remains to continue giving everything, and dedicating it to our Cuban people. We are surrounded by great athletes who support us, for example Julio Cesar (La Cruz) who is always encouraging us… and if the great “horses” are encouraging us, that’s strength, never pressure,” said Alayo to the accredited media, excited about the good start they have had.
The leader of the Cuban duo confirmed that some variations exhibited now, were thought to face the complicated commitment against the South Americans, but rehearsed many times waiting for the right moment.
Once again Alayo accompanied his impressive power with his proven skills to “move” the passions of an audience that seemed to mostly support his rivals, and ended up surrendering to the fabulous display of the clear winners.
The response that came down from the stands did honors to what happened on the arena, and the Cubans reciprocated the gesture by thanking a well-earned support, which aims to be repeated for the next presentations.
“I liked the charisma of the French public, but I am not surprised. In many parts of the world we receive affection and we become part of the hosts, that’s what we like”, added Noslen, as motivated as his partner to continue generating good news.
The Artemisian, although less effusive, prefers to take this start very cautiously. “We know we are playing well, but our mentality is to go match by match, set by set and point by point. After each victory we think only of the next challenge,” he says with an unaccustomed confidence for his youth.
The Cuban duo currently leads the group with four points. The Brazilians are next with three, since they defeated the Moroccans, who face the Americans at the end of the day.
Translated and edited by Dayla Perez Ortiz.
