SVG to take part in 2014 Youth Olympics in beach volleyball

The male Beach volleyball duo of Rondell Fraser and Delshun Welcome, last weekend booked St Vincent and the Grenadines’ place in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Nanjing, China from August 16 to 28.{{more}}

The two claimed the top spot and the right for St Vincent and the Grenadines to have an entry, when the finals of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Zone of the NORCECA Round were staged at Pigeon Point in St Lucia.

The pair formalized their unbeaten run in the tournament in dominating fashion over Dominica’s Arden Elmes and Yahn Florent, taking both matches in the best of three final series last Sunday.

The Vincentians won both matches by 2-0 margins. They had to ward off a defiant Elmes and Florent in the first match, but came through 21-16, 22-20. In the second match, Fraser and Welcome blew away their opponents 21-9, 21-5.

This was an historic achievement, as it will be the first time St Vincent and the Grenadines will be represented at the Olympic Games in a team sport. In addition, they finished the two-day tournament dropping only one set and ending with a 10-1 win/loss ratio.

Before meeting Elmes and Florent, Fraser and Welcome saw off Grenada’s team of Sherman Clement and Jayvon Gilbert in two straight matches, to sweep the series without many complications.

The Vincentians won 2-0( 21-14, 21-15 ) and (21-14, 21-11). On the opening day, Saturday, Fraser and Welcome defeated Grenada and Dominica, both 2-0 and St Lucia – 2-1.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT in St Lucia, Fraser and Welcome said they were always confident of winning. Fraser, the more vocal, said: “From day one, we knew we were the best team”. He attributed their success to the hard work they put in and the guidance of their coach – Nikita Campbell.

“We were training for the past two months, during the weekdays at Villa beach and on Saturdays at Buccament Bay Resorts,” Fraser recounted.

Meanwhile, Welcome noted that they did not “fluke” the win, as they beat all who came to confront them at the nets.

Letting their success and the prospect of travelling to Asia sink in, Fraser, a fourth form student of the Georgetown Secondary School and Welcome, a second form student of the West St George Secondary School, concurred that they have to begin to learn the Chinese language.

St Vincent and the Grenadines had an opportunity to advance in the female category as well, but after topping the pool play on Saturday, the combination of Angelique Allan and Mikhailla Matthias lost both their semi-final matches and the third place play-off against St Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda respectively.

St Lucia won the female segment and a direct ticket to Nanjing. Grenada placed second, Antigua and Barbuda third and St Vincent and the Grenadines fourth.

In the male segment, Dominica and St Lucia have another chance of heading to China, likewise Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda, as the four head to the second round of the qualifiers.(RT)