Uruguay’s Hans Hannibal & Nicolas Llambias will compete together for the first time as a dedicated pair at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships at The Drive and Pinky Flat in Adelaide, following their appearance at Rome 2022 with different partners and their registration as a reserve team for Tlaxcala 2023.
Since then, the duo have worked on a game plan to go deep into the CSV South American circuit, a plan that has worked to their advantage. They systematically collected their points from each stop, all the way to confirming and punching their ticket to play in Adelaide. They would, at times, compete in the Beach Pro Tour at the Futures or Challenge tiers, but their main focus was to excel within the continental level.
In the 2025 season alone, they garnered medals in at least four CSV tour stops, including gold in Rancagua, Chile, and Santa Marta, Colombia.
Nicolas Llambias dives for the ball.
Llambias spoke about the significance of the team’s victories in early 2025, noting that the importance of the medal goes beyond the hardware itself.
“It means a lot for a sport like beach volleyball, because behind the medal, there’s a ton of training, a ton of dedication, a ton of effort. We put in a lot of work, and the people who gradually joined our team also contributed. The truth is, it’s an immense joy to be able to bring the medal back for all those people, for us, and even more so for volleyball in general in Uruguay. They deserve it,” he said.
Right at the heart of the Uruguayans’ success through hard work is the support provided through the FIVB Empowerment Programme. For the period between 2022 and 2025, the FIVB has helped cover a total of USD 312,000 in coach support and beach volleyball equipment funding. The grant has steered their programme to establish a more robust structure that would truly address the athletes’ needs. They are working with a team of trainers, a physiotherapist, and a psychologist.
Hans Hannibal avoids the Chilean blocker on an attack.
Hannibal emphasised how this multidisciplinary team is the key to sustained growth.
“Our idea is to put that multidisciplinary team back together so we can continue to grow, because those are the details that make the difference.
“Each of us is aware of the goal we’re striving for, so obviously we’re respectful of each other and of the main objective. We’re talking about nutrition, physical training, and the court. Obviously, not every day you feel like coming, for whatever reason, to do the workload at the gym. But well, that’s where you have to be disciplined, and in the long run, the result like the one we achieved now makes it all worthwhile. So we don’t regret anything and we’re ready to keep going for more,” he said.
Along with the effects and benefits of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Programme, Uruguay’s positive energy comes from previous mentorship under Puerto Rican instructor Juan Cartagena and current coach Mateo Pascale. The core idea remains consistent: scale the structure and bandwidth in order to bridge the gap between continental supremacy and global competitiveness.
Hannibal & Llambias with their coach.
When the Uruguayans arrive in Adelaide, their vision will be set into motion, even against a tough draw in Pool A. They are set to face Norway’s Anders Mol & Christian Sorum, and the Swiss duos of Marco Krattiger & Leo Dillier and Adrian Heidrich & Jonathan Jordan.
Hannibal & Llambias remain confident as Uruguay’s flagship team in the sport. They possess the opportunity to bank on the FIVB Empowerment Programme’s valuable investment, ultimately aimed at boosting the nation’s profile in beach volleyball.
“We want to arrive in the best possible shape for the World Championship because, obviously, we don’t want to just participate. We want to do our best in some rounds there,” Hannibal added.
