Deep Dish Crystal Palace Coach Dave Panah recently made history for Wales, at the SCV CEV small countries tournament. Heading into the main draw (seeded 8th), with Welsh partner Conor Robins, Panah/Robins finished 4th, bringing home the best result for a welsh team in an international tournament to date.
"This tournament was important for us as it's one of the few chances we get to put Wales on the map, so my partner Conor and I had to push over our limits."
What was your toughest match?
Luxembourg, they played professionally and didn't drop a single set, and we managed to win a set against them but lost in the third in a close game.
What challenges (if any) did you face on and off the court?
Toughest was my partner's leg injury in the final day and weather conditions. He managed to push through the pain and did a great job not showing any weakness.
What was the highlight of the tournament?
I believe winning against the best Scottish team,3 points down on the third set and managing to win.
What did you learn from this event, as a team or individual?
I learned that height matters but not as much as we thought. Self-belief and confidence are the key to success.
Most memorable thing from this tournament?
Watching the award ceremony from afar, knowing we were so close to a medal, I got extra motivated to push harder in the following competitions.
Any final thoughts on the event and/or whats next on the horizon for you as a team/player (upcoming tournaments, where you'll be training etc)
I would like to thank Deep Dish and the volleyball family who supported me throughout this journey which continues surely. Looking forward to enter future events, with the UKBT London 4* and the UKBT Bournemouth Finals being the the next steps.
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Pictures courtesy of www.volleyballphotos.co.uk
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