FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Mariafe Artacho del Solar
HER WAY’s 2022 interview with the one half of the Beach Volleyball star duo
Australia has a proud history of Beach Volleyball at the Olympics, winning the first ever gold medal at Sydney 2000. Current duo Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy are continuing the tradition. They won silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021, followed by another silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games plus other Pro Tour and championship medals.
HER WAY chatted to Mariafe in 2022. I was particularly interested in talking to her, as I have a grandmother who was raised in Peru, the country of Mariafe’s birth. I started the chat asking her about that heritage.
You were born in Peru and spent your first few years there. What do you remember about growing up there?
I was born into a very sporty and active family. Since I can remember, I was always outside playing with my older brother and sister. I played nearly every sport you can think of - softball, basketball, athletics, football, obviously volleyball... I even did Taekwondo. So I loved all sports, but because my sister played volleyball, I think that's why I was more focussed on that as a young kid. I had a big family, so I loved hanging around with my cousins and having family dinners and lunches on weekends. I have very fond memories of a lot of family time and a lot of sport when I was a kid.
When you were 11 years old, you and your mum moved to Australia. You didn't speak a word of English. How did you feel about moving to another country where you didn't know the people or language?
Yeah, I didn't speak any English, but at the same time, I was really excited. I was ready for the challenge. I was never scared, but I was ready for a change. I knew that Australia was full of opportunities for me, especially in sport, so I knew that it was going to be a positive one. But yeah, it was an exciting challenge and I've never looked back. I love it.
What were those first few weeks and months like, going to a new school in a new, foreign country?
I did year 6 at Gordon West (in Sydney). I didn't speak a word of English, but I think for me, sport was a way of communicating and feeling like I belonged to something. That was where I got to start making friends. We couldn't communicate very well because I still couldn't speak much English, but I felt like I was part of something, and I got myself involved with all the sports teams at school and I had a lot of fun, and I think that made my experience very rewarding. I really enjoyed my Year 6 there.
I read that as you were playing more competitive beach volleyball, you were sometimes overlooked because you weren't as tall as a lot of others. What would you say were the qualities that made you stand out?
I think I've always had a passionate attitude and a lot of grit. I always fight - I'm a fighter when it comes to sport, and I'm very competitive. I do whatever it takes to win. I've always had that attitude since I was a little girl - that no one beats me. Knowing that I don't have the height advantage in volleyball, I have these other qualities and strengths that help me to compete.
When did you first start to think that maybe you would be good enough to go far and make this a career?
Yeah, I think when I was about 13 and got to represent Australia at the under 19 Championships in Poland. Prior to that, they took us to a World Tour event in Montreal, Canada, and I got to experience what the World Tour was like, and the travelling and competing at Beach Volleyball around the world. I was like, "I think I could do this! I really enjoy the lifestyle, and get to travel and compete. It all sounds pretty good." So that's around the time where I wanted to do it as a career. As grateful as I am to do what I do, it has its ups and downs. It isn't always glamorous. But the hard work you go through is definitely worth it.
You made your Olympics debut in Rio 2016, in the continent where you were born. That must have been special?
A lot of my family actually came across the border to Brazil to watch me play. For some of my aunts and uncles it was actually the first time they saw me play - that was pretty cool at an Olympic Games. It was nice to play my first Olympics in South America. I remember a lot of Peruvian journalists were interviewing me, and in a way it was like I was representing them as well. So it was nice to represent Australia and Peru at the same time... in a way!
2017 you teamed up with Taliqua Clancy, and you two have had a lot of success. What do you think makes you such a good combination?
'T' and I have a lot of strengths, and one of them is that we have the same goals. We both want to win and want to be on top of the world. Being on the same page and aligning in that sense helps a lot. We have a lot of trust in each other. Sometimes things might look different for each other but we both know that we're both doing the best for the team. So I think having that trust and respect for each other helps. I think when we play it's just easy. We know what we want to do. We know what we want to achieve.
Beach Volleyball is so much fun to watch as a fan - it always looks like a party atmosphere. Are you able to have fun as a player, or are you just focussed on what you're trying to achieve?
I guess both. It's really important to enjoy yourself and have fun out there, because that allows you to play your best. But sometimes you do get caught up in what's not going right or you're too much in your head and overthinking it, and that's when you're not enjoying it and having fun, which doesn't allow you to play your best. So it's an interesting balance - I always want to make sure I'm enjoying myself out there, and I'm myself, and I bring the energy having fun, because I think that's when I'm the best I can be for my team and for myself.
During the Tokyo Olympics there were a lot of comments on social media about the bikinis the women wear playing Beach Volleyball compared to the men's shorts. What are your thoughts on the topic?
It's definitely changed over the years. It's been progressive and become more of a choice. We still have to wear bikinis as part of our uniform. Some countries in Europe like Norway, they've started to use bike pants and short shorts as part of their bottoms, so I think they're definitely more progressive in that regard. If it's cold, on the top you can wear a short sleeve shirt or tights if you're cold, and you (as a duo) don't have to match, whereas before, if one of you wore it, you both had to wear it. So I think it's heading in the right direction in that it should be a choice. You shouldn't be forced to wear one or the other. We're fine to wear it (bikini), but we think that a lot of people don't think that's the case. You get really hot, really sweaty, really sandy - it's like going to the beach. For us, it's super comfortable and we're used to it, but in general I think it should be a choice.
You and Taliqua are the faces of Beach Volleyball in Australia. Do you see that as an opportunity and responsibility to try and mentor younger players and encourage kids?
For T and I, we definitely love seeing more girls and boys playing volleyball. It's actually impressive the number of kids that are playing the sport when I go to school events. There's actually thousands of kids playing, which is awesome! I didn't expect it to be as big as that, so it's really great that they're starting younger nowadays. I think that will definitely help the depth of our sport in this country. We definitely need as many kids playing as early as they can, so they get to compete overseas earlier rather than later.
You've won World Tour titles, medals at Olympics, Commonwealth Games , World Championships and Asian Championships - what do you think 11 year old Mariafe living in Peru would think of all that?
Yeah wow, when you say it like that, it's pretty cool to think about it. I guess we don't often reflect on how far we've come and what we've achieved. I'm super proud of everything I've done, but most of all what I'm most proud of is everything I've experienced and learnt, which has helped me grow and be the person I am today, and I guess the impact I've been able to have on people throughout my journey. But yeah, you always have challenges and bumps on the road, but they're there for a reason to help us learn and grow, and that's in life as well as sport. But it's pretty cool to think back to that 11 year old arriving in Australia with no English, to now see where I am today.