A dream year for Daniele Lupo

Lausanne, Switzerland, November 24, 2016 - Going about his business quietly and confidently, Olympic silver medallist and European champion Daniele Lupo's exploits this year have been incredible.

Quick links - Beach volleyball:
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 2016
Rio 2016 Olympic Games - Beach Volleyball
FIVB.com - Beach Volleyball
FIVB.com
Latest Videos
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Media Guides

Sure, they can easily get lost in the golden headlines of Brazil’s Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt, the talk of how impressive the Polish teams have been, or of how flamboyantly and consistently Latvia’s Swatch FIVB Klagenfurt heroes Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins have performed on the FIVB World Tour.

But together with partner Paulo Nicolai, Lupo can be proud of his achievements this year – and with good reason.

Even more remarkable is the fact that Lupo is just 25. His career began with a ninth place finish at the FIVB Beach Volleyball Under-21 World Championship in Turkey with Tiziano Andreatta, but it was not until August 2012 that he secured a medal on the international scene, winning silver with Nicolai at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Beijing Grand Slam – aged just 21.



The pair went from strength to strength – earning a stunning fifth place in the London Olympics in 2012. Again – aged just 21.

In the four years that followed, which have cumulated in the silver won on the Copacabana Beach in August, Lupo has finished in the top 10 at international tournaments 16 times in 21 events. How is that for consistency?

His and Nicolai’s European Championship in Switzerland in May told its own story. They knocked out Spain’s Pablo Herrera/Adrian Gavira and Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands before overcoming Russians Konstantin Semenov/Viacheslav Krasilnikov to scoop up the gold medal.

Only Brazil’s Alison/Bruno – both of whom are 30 and five years older than Lupo – prevented him and Nicolai from securing a unique Olympic and European double.


Olympic silver medallists Nicolai and Lupo join Alison and Bruno (Brazil - gold) and Brouwer and Meeuwsen (Netherlands - bronze) on the Rio podium

There are some tasty prizes up for grabs in 2017. The Swatch Major Series portion of the FIVB World Tour, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna and the crowning end to the season at the Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals.

With even more winning experience under his belt, it’s obvious that this is not the last time we will see Lupo smiling on the sand.

Read more on swatchmajorseries.com: Tuesday Talent: Daniele Lupo’s dream year