A defeat that feels like a victory for Ermacora

Photo: BeachMajorSeries/ACTS

Vienna, Austria. After almost not being able to take part in the European Championship, the Austrian star makes his debut in the Red Bull Beach Arena.

The Austrian star Martin Ermacora did not know until Wednesday whether he would be able to compete in the most important tournament of the year for him, the A1 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships Vienna 2021 presented by Swatch.

The 27-year-old blocker, who was involved in a car accident a few days ago and struggled with the consequences of a concussion and whiplash, and his partner Moritz Pristauz hit the sand on Thursday, the first day of the men’s tournament in the Austrian capital, and in the Red Bull Arena.

Despite a tough fight, the Austrians were defeated in Pool H by the Belgians Dries Koekelkoren and Tom van Walle in a close three-set game (15-21, 21-16, 15-13). After the past few days of uncertainty, they couldn’t be prouder to be on the court.

“For the first appearance and considering the circumstances under which we prepared for this tournament, we can be quite satisfied and proud of our performance,” reflects Ermacora. “I had to get used to the stadium for a set because I’ve never been there and haven’t trained there. I only trained once in the last few days. I first had to adapt to the conditions, the stadium metrics and get used to the wind. “

Pristauz and Ermacora enjoy the atmosphere in the Red Bull Beach Arena. Photo: BeachMajorSeries/ACTS

One thing that the Austrian certainly did not have to struggle with was the unconditional support from the packed grandstands of the Red Bull Beach Arena.

“The fans were so loud that we had to scream to communicate on the field,” he said. “I still have goosebumps! Especially today, after being a little sick and injured for the past few weeks, they gave me so much energy to get into the match.”

The Austrians will now have to beat Belarusians Aliaksandr Dziadkou and Pavel Piatrushka in their second game on Thursday to stay in the tournament. Regardless of how their trip ends in Vienna, they will be proud to have stood at the square together.

“We’re not going into this tournament with very high expectations, so we’ll just try to do our best and go point by point,” said Pristauz, explaining the approach. “Martin wasn’t so lucky with all the injuries and setbacks this season, but I’m really proud of the way he deals with them – not just physically but mentally.”

The Austrian cools his head with ice during a time-out. Photo: BeachMajorSeries/ACTS

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A1 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship