Adrian Carambula, an Italian beach volleyball player, may be the most colorful figure at the Paris Olympics.
The famed striker Luis Suarez coached the Uruguayan-born Carambula in soccer when he was younger. After migrating to the United States, at the age of 14, she started playing beach volleyball.
“I started hanging out maybe with the wrong crowd a little bit, had conflicts with my parents, and that’s when I kind of turned into a rebel,” Carambula said to NBC Olympics Research in 2023. “There was no soccer culture in the U.S. “I stopped playing soccer and I just started playing beach volleyball for pure enjoyment.”
He then moved to his grandmother’s native country, Italy, at age 26 and developed one of the most entertaining and innovative moves in the sport — his patented “sky ball.” The move is as simple as it sounds. On a serve, Carambula hits the ball in the air as high as he can, often confusing opponents with his unorthodox approach. Carambula’s distinctive serve and unique style have earned the nickname “Mr. Skyball” from the beach volleyball community.
The 5-foot-11 Carambula came up with the “sky ball” as way to combat the giants that make up the sport. He can’t meet every player at the net, so he had to find a way to give himself an edge — and his craftiness resulted in a signature maneuver.
“You can play at this level with this height, but you need to build the necessary skills to be able to compete,” Carambula said. “At this level, for me to be competitive, I have to be different.”
Despite Carambula’s ability to sweep the sport by storm, he and his partner, Alex Ranghieri, couldn’t advance out of pool play in Paris. In 2016, the duo made the Round of 16 during their Olympic debut, but split before the Tokyo Games.
When Ranghieri dropped Carambula as a partner in 2017, the outspoken setter stopped being funded by the Italian federation.
He then teamed up with Enrico Rossi and still managed to qualify for the Tokyo Games.
“So since then, they never brought me back in, because I didn’t know how to play politics. I didn’t know how to say yes to everything,” Carambula said. “So I found my way, I invested in myself a little bit. And here I am still dancing.”
The cool-headed Ranghieri and the flamboyant Carambula managed to put together another run together in 2024 after overcoming their differences in temperament.
In Paris, Carambula’s competitive advantage was evident as the crowd often cheered for the Italians. The 6-foot-6 Ranghieri, utilizing his unusual offensive approach, patrolled the net as Carambula dug opposition attacks.
Carambula can have a strong personality, but Ranghieri told NBC Olympics Research that “we found a way to work around that.” We wouldn’t be here else.
The two hope to return to the Los Angeles Games in 2028 after finishing 2023 as the top-ranked athletes in the world.
What’s next for these two? Saying that “the sky’s the limit” is safe
