Aussie Beach volleyball pair secure third against Brazil at Dakar games

IT WAS an all-Queensland duo made up of Nambour’s Thomas Turner and Ryan Edgar from The Gap who took on Brazil in the men’s beach volleyball at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, with the Queenslanders securing the bronze in what was a powerful performance.

Held from October 31 to November 12, the Games are making history and, for the first time, are being held on the African continent, with West African country Senegal hosting.

The Games are open to the world’s elite teenage athletes aged from14 to 17 –  151 medal events will be contested across 25 different sports.

Australia has a team consisting of 41 young athletes who will compete in 16 sports.

The bronze for Turner and Edgar was a fitting way to end what has been a standout year for the Queensland pair.

Turner said he was lost for words on what his podium result meant for him and his teammate.

“It just wraps up the year for us. Three international tournaments this year, three podiums. It’s just really cool to see that we can compete and match it with some of the best players in the world,” Turner said.

The Aussie duo put pressure on the Brazilian pair from the start, dominating at the net and forcing errors from their opponents. Turner and Edgar made the most of their commanding start to finish the first set 21-8.

In the second set, the teams went point-for-point before Turner delivered three consecutive aces to give the Aussies a lead midway through the set. It proved enough as the pair went on to secure a straight-sets victory 2-0 (21-8; 21-16).

Turner said Dakar had been the highlight of their illustrious international season, which also included a

U18 World Championships medal.

“This one’s definitely been my favourite international stop of the year. The culture here is awesome. I love this place. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and everyone that I meet here is so friendly and so welcoming. It’s really cool.”

Edgar said that after losing their semifinal to Austria the day before, the pair regrouped to work out how they could bounce back and secure Australia’s second medal of the Youth Olympics.

“After we lost in the semifinal, we had a think about what we could do better. We sort of just mastered everything we could in the pre-game – really good preparation, really good warm-up, and then we were ready to 100% bring it as soon as the game started,” Edgar said.

The Aussie pair had plenty of green and gold support for the bronze medal match, including their families, who have been cheering from the stands since Day 1.

“It’s pretty special for me because obviously they are on the whole journey. They support me through everything, and I wouldn’t be here without them,” Turner said.

Edgar echoed how important it was to have that family support and that of the Australian team in Senegal.

“It makes us feel at home away from home. Having everyone we love to be here, just right outside the court supporting for every single point, no matter what happens. It makes us feel very special,” Edgar said.

The duo now firmly have their sights on a local competition taking place in a few years.

“Brisbane 2032, we’ll do our best to be there,” Edgar said.

Follow the Australian Youth Team here.

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