Tenacity and grit fuel Israeli beach volleyball duo’s spike in rankings – and Olympic hopes
Times of Israel · LC · trust 39/100
Main image: Kevin Cuzmiciov, left, and Eylon Elazar compete at the Nayarit Challenge in Mexico, March 2026. (Courtesy) 'They have the potential to reach the absolute top' Tenacity and grit fuel Israeli beach volleyball duo’s spike in rankings – and Olympic hopes Main image: Kevin Cuzmiciov, left, and Eylon Elazar compete at the Nayarit Challenge in Mexico, March 2026. (Courtesy) Quickly rising through international ranks, Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov face fierce competition for chance to represent Israel in the sport for first time at 2028 LA Games See more Times of Israel on Google - add us as a Preferred Source By David Wiseman Today, 2:57 pm Edit Share Copy link Send by email Facebook X Whatsapp Telegram Bluesky Reddit Print As summer hits its peak, the idea of dodging daily obligations and heading to the beach for a few hours can be extremely appealing. But for Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov, the beach doesn’t represent an escape from responsibility — it is where it begins. As Israel’s most successful beach volleyball pair, they carry with them not only their own ambitions but the hopes of a sport still searching for its defining moment in the Holy Land. Since beach volleyball was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Israel has never sent a team; with only 24 pairs in the competition, only the best of the best walk on that Olympic sand.
So Elazar knows what’s at stake as the team tries to make the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I wake up every single day knowing that my goal is to be part of the first-ever Israeli duo to represent Israel in beach volleyball at the Games,” says the 25-year-old.
The Israeli Olympic Committee’s sports director, Yaniv Askenazi, appreciates the significance of this duo.
“They are a good team and have a good support staff, so the pieces are there,” he tells The Times of Israel. “Given their progress in recent times, we’re optimistic that they will make it to LA, but also realistic that there’s a long way to go. Should they make it, it will be wonderful for the whole sport, and they will bring a great energy to the delegation.”
At the start of 2025, with their ranking close to 100, this was a pipe dream for the Israelis. But somewhere during their crisscross of the globe, something clicked. Maybe it was experience, chemistry or confidence. Most likely it was all three, and winning became a habit as they stood on the podium in India and Mexico, before they won their first Challenger tournament in China in May. After the dust settled, their ranking was 22.
In a country where sports fans worship at the altars of soccer and basketball, how did these two become beach volleyball true believers?
“I started playing basketball at age 6, and when I was 10, a number of my friends switched to indoor volleyball. I was invited to trials at Wingate for a beach volleyball program,” he says, referring to the prestigious sports training institute in Netanya.
And he went all-in. By choosing volleyball, Elazar wasn’t just turning his back on other sports; he was embarking on a path that likely meant he wouldn’t serve in a combat position during his mandatory IDF service.
When it comes to beach volleyball, it’s not enough to simply be a great athlete; players must be on the same wavelength as their partner — there are only two of them patrolling nearly 700 square feet of sand. Elazar went through a number of different partners before being paired with 22-year-old Cuzmiciov.
Whereas once the duo simply had the potential to be good, now the question is how much further they can go. Elazar believes the gap separating them from the world’s top 10 is narrowing all the time.
“The difference is consistency under pressure and your decision-making in crucial moments,” he says.
For athletes competing in less mainstream sports, recognition takes on a different shape. They are rarely the lead story, and their victories seldom dominate headlines.
Yet niche sports create uniquely devoted audiences. After winning in China, Elazar received a message from a Jewish beach volleyball fan in Canada celebrating the achievement.
Cuzmiciov’s first sport was also basketball, but with his father a volleyballer, it was only a matter of time until the prodigal son found his way to the sport. At 13, he too was at the Wingate Institute training twice a day.
After trying a number of different partners, fate intervened.
“In one tournament, my partner was injured and Eylon was available, so we played together and did very well. Later that year, a coach advocated that we become a permanent team,” Cuzmiciov says.
The international beach volleyball circuit operates as a ladder. Futures events are for emerging players, while Challenger tournaments sit above them. At the top is Elite16, where the world’s best teams compete.
At the start of 2025, Elazar and Cuzmiciov were still climbing the lower rungs. Today they enter Challenger events as one of the teams others are watching and trying to avoid, and the Elite 16 looms large.
They could feel their ascent up the ranks in real time — not just from how they felt, but how their opponents treated them.
“Top teams were asking us to practice against them, and lesser opponents celebrated victories against us as a massive achievement,” says Cuzmiciov.
Their rise has not gone unnoticed at home. Volleyball federations oversee both indoor and outdoor volleyball. Zohar Bar Netzer, CEO of the Israel Volleyball Association, is not surprised by the progress of this dynamic duo.
“Kevin and Eylon have immense potential to reach the absolute top of world beach volleyball, and the Association is investing great resources into their development and advancement,” says Bar Netzer.
It is an investment that should pay off significantly.
“Qualifying for the Olympic Games would undoubtedly have a transformative impact on beach volleyball in Israel,” Bar Netzer says. “We already see that their recent successes have brought a lot of attention and…
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