This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, the top beach volleyball player in France who has recently teamed with the young – and impressive – Teo Rotar. Already, they have locked up a spot in this fall’s World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, and are a dark horse contender to medal. Recorded at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite, Gauthier-Rat and Mewhirter sit down to chat about:

  • The epic Paris Olympics – and the pressures of being the home team
  • The wild qualifying process for those Paris Olympic Games, and the incredible stress put on Gauthier-Rat and his then-partner, Youssef Krou
  • A crazy run at the European Continental Cup, where Gauthier-Rat first teamed with Teo Rotar to clinch a second bid into the Olympics for France
  • The bright future of France, whose youth talent is overflowing

And much, much more. This one FLEW BY.

SHOOTS!

Listen to the podcast with Arnaud Gauthier-Rat

Watch the SANDCAST with Arnaud Gauthier-Rat

Chapters of the episode with Gauthier-Rat

00:00 Language and Cultural Exchange in Sports

02:38 Memorable Moments in Beach Volleyball

05:28 The Pressure of Competing at Home

08:45 The Journey to the Olympics

11:36 The Continental Cup Experience

14:53 The Emotional Rollercoaster of Olympic Qualification

17:31 Team Dynamics and Selection Challenges

20:29 The Future of French Beach Volleyball

23:29 The Evolution of European Beach Volleyball

26:24 The Role of Young Players in the Sport

29:36 Training and Development in Beach Volleyball

32:33 The Importance of Role Models in Sports

35:27 The Future of Beach Volleyball in France

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