“Unbelievable pride” is how Canadian Olympian Kristina Valjas describes her current state. Along with teammate Jamie Broder, she will be competing in women’s beach volleyball at the Rio 2016 Olympics. “I want to go out there and do my best and make Canada proud as well [of me] and my partner [Broder].”

The road to Rio has been a long one for Valjas and Broder. Limited funding is one of the adversities they have faced. Valjas and Broder have had to raise their own funds and hire their own coaches. When CanFund found out they were buying their own volleyballs last year, the organization held a fundraiser to get them balls to train with. 

Both women won gold in the Fuzhou Open, in China in April 2015, the first medal ever won on the World Tour by a Canadian women’s beach volleyball team. They finished last year with a gold at Tobago Beach and officially qualified for Rio this June.

Growing up in Willowdale, volleyball was always a part of Valjas’ life. Both her parents played for the Blues for U of T. Olympics also runs in her family: her brother Lenny competed in the 2014 Sochi Olympics for Canada in cross-country skiing.

Following in her parent’s footsteps, Valjas also played volleyball for U of T and eventually made the transition to beach volleyball and loved it. In 2010, she earned a spot on Canada’s national team. Valjas has competed twice in Rio in the last year. “It’s nice to get a feel for the big show. We sort of know the layout, where the restaurants are and the distance to the athletes’ village. So I feel pretty confident going in there,” she says. “When it comes to the individual competitions and tournaments, I think we’re going to approach the Olympics the same way. Thinking about every point. Being aware of your partner. Playing freely but aggressive. Trying to win every point of every match, which makes it achievable.”

Of her partner Broder, Valjas says, “We depend on each other. The strength of our relationship is a big part of our success. It’s a very enjoyable, fun ride we’re on.”