Watch Italian beach volleyball star Adrian Carambula pull off INCREDIBLE serve at Paris Olympics
- Adrian Carambula to represent Italy in beach volleyball at the Olympic Games
- He delivered an incredible serve in his final match at the Games
- Carambula, 36, has explained why he uses a unique serve in matches
Italian beach volleyball player Adrian Carambula delivered a stunning serve on Wednesday evening during the Olympic Games in Paris.
Carambula played together with Alex Ranghieri and faced the Norwegian duo Anders Mol and Christian Soerum in the group stage.
And the 36-year-old didn’t hold back on the biggest stage and reached for his bag of tricks.
Carambula is known as ‘Mr Skyball’ for his signature service move where he hits his serve high in the air with a lot of spin, making it difficult for opponents to control the return. He did this in Paris.
It’s a bold move to attempt that, but he was also able to show his accuracy when the ball landed on the pitch, forcing a response from the Norwegians.
Adrian Carambula made his ‘Skyball’ serve on Wednesday night during the Olympic Games in Paris
Carambula hits the ball high into the air, lifting his leg for good effect
He revealed that due to his physical disadvantages he had come up with a different way of serving
The Italian veteran previously explained why he performs his ‘Skyball’ serve, saying that he had to come up with something else, as he is only 1.80m tall and his opponents often tower over him.
‘A lot of people identify with me. I know it’s not normal that I’m 181. [cm tall] and play at this level,” he told Olympics.com.
“I’m not the fastest either. I’m not the thinnest either, so I know I represent a big community and that feels good. I feel a little bit responsible for that.
“I have the serve that all the kids love because it’s almost like a superhero. It’s the weapon that I use to serve. It throws people off their rhythm. They lose a lot of sense of where they’re supposed to be on the court, and that allows my partner to get in the front line and get a lot of blocks.”
Carambula learned this skill on the beaches of Miami and now it has been taught to him, so to speak.
“I just got the hang of it because I don’t even practice it anymore. In the game and with the pressure, that’s where it comes out.”
Carambula lost on Wednesday, but he and his partner Alex Ranghieri won their opening match on Sunday
Unfortunately for Carambula, his incredible service could not lead Italy to victory, as they were defeated 21-12 and 21-15 by Mol and Soerum.
But Italy did win their opening group match on Sunday, meaning Carambula and Ranghieri still have a chance of qualifying for the final phase of the competition.
They will be back in action on Friday when they take on their Chilean cousins Marco and Esteban Grimalt.