US beach volleyballers Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser said Thursday they are confident ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
The two are considered favorites for their momentum of winning in prominent competitions in the past two years. They are also placed first on the Olympic qualification rankings.
"We're confident but we hate to say we're favourites. In my opinion Ricardo and Emanuel (of Brazil) are the favorites," said Dalhausser after training at the Chaoyang Park beach volleyball ground.
"But being considered favourite is pretty cool," he added.
Rogers said: "We're relaxed, we don't stress, we just do our things."
There are good reasons to believe the Americans are serious contenders for the Beijing Games championship.
They are winners of five FIVB World Tour gold medalists and in 2007 they won the FIVB World Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland. With a 21-match winning streak this year, the U.S. duo entered the Beijing Olympics.
The Americans are 1-1 this year against Brazilians Emanuel Ricardo and Ricardo Santos, Athens Games champions.
The year of 2008 is their "most productive year," said The 2.06-meter Dalhausser, who was named FIVB World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007.
"We've won more AVP (Associaton of Volleyball Professionals) events this year than last year. We're definitely playing better and more consistently."
"We hate to lose and maybe even more so than anyone else," said Rogers, who is nicknamed "The Professor" for his extensive experience on the beach.
The two said their cooperation is perfect.
"We compliment each other well. I like to describe myself as quietly intense and I would describe him in a similar manner," said Rogers.
(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)