They may have had a summer to remember, but the hard work still continues for Joaquin & Javier Bello!

We managed to peel the boys away from the court for a just few minutes, to see how Javier’s recovery is going, what they’ve been up to since The Commonwealth Games, and if they have anything exciting coming up on the horizon!

Javier, how is recovery going following your hand injury?

“My hand has been healing well and I have already started training at near 100%”.

Do you know when you'll be able to start playing again?

“The doctor and physio have agreed for me to start playing in a few weeks and I'm super excited to compete again after a short break!”.

How have you found not being able to play volleyball for so long?

“It hasn’t been easy to take time off because I really love the game and coming to practice every day, so not being able to do that has been a challenge. I’ve stayed in the best shape possible so that’s going to make it easier to come back to high level competition, and taking a little time off means I’m even more motivated than usual, which should be very scary for other teams!”.

Joaquin, congratulations on your recent success becoming 2022 British Champion again! How did you find playing without Javier?

“Thank you! Playing without Javier for the first time was very difficult at first, because we didn't get a chance to train together so I had to communicate and make different adjustments for my partner, but Cole played amazing and made it really easy for both of us. By the end of the competition, we got into a great rhythm and everything clicked, which felt great and allowed us to take home the title”.

Do you have any other exciting events coming up?

“We had to withdraw from the Beach Pro Tour event in Dubai due to Javier’s injury, but we are looking forward to events in South Africa, Egypt and Australia coming up in the calendar”.

Good Luck from all of us at the Volleyball England Foundation!