Clancy and Fejes Secure Olympic Quota Spot, Eye Crochet Gift for Snoop Dogg

Beach volleyball stars Taliqua Clancy and Stefie Fejes have secured a quota spot for Australia at the LA28 Olympic Games, marking a significant milestone in their fledgling partnership.

The duo, who have only played six tournaments together, claimed the spot after winning the Asian Championships in Shangluo, China, earlier this month. The victory was all the more impressive given that Fejes was bedridden in the lead-up to the tournament and Clancy was battling a toe injury and knee problems.

An Unlikely yet Promising Partnership

Clancy, a three-time Olympian, and Fejes, 21, have been working together since May this year. Despite their limited time together on the court, they have already shown promising results, including a fifth-place finish at the World Volleyball Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Hamburg.

"They kind of changed the whole Olympic cycle," Clancy said. "It was really last minute that we, and all the other countries, found out that if you win your continental champs you also secure a ticket to LA, so it was an odd one because you're kind of making a short plan within the really big, long-term plan of getting to the Games."

A Gift for Snoop Dogg?

Off the court, Fejes has a unique hobby - crochet. She started making crocheted items in high school as part of a design project, and has since turned it into a side business. Her crocheted ball carriers have become a common sight on the circuit, with many players, including those from the Australian tour, supporting her by purchasing them.

"I started doing it on the plane, do it on the bus. I would say it's like a form of meditation, for sure," Fejes explained. "Everyone probably knows, but I'm quite high functioning, I like to move around a lot, do a lot and not a lot stops, and this is like my time where I can actually just take a breath and I make myself sit down and still be productive, but I'm actually sitting down and resting."

Clancy joked that they should make a crocheted gift for Snoop Dogg, who often attends volleyball events. "You need to pick an athlete that you want to gift it to," Clancy said to Fejes. "And you've got to find them in the village. Snoop Dogg! He always comes out to the event. Oh my God, make him something."

A New Chapter in Clancy's Career

For Clancy, this new partnership marks a new chapter in her career. She has previously competed with Mariafe Artacho del Solar, with whom she won an Olympic silver medal and multiple world tour titles.

"Actually it's so funny because it's kind of the complete flip," Clancy said. "I'm pretty sure me and Lou actually had pretty much the same age gap as well [Clancy was 24 during the Games and Bowden was 35 in Rio]. So it is pretty funny. Me and Lou are very close, so I have asked a few questions. I was like, shit, OK, what do I do?"

Fejes, meanwhile, is thrilled to be playing with a multiple global medallist like Clancy. "It's definitely not intimidating," she said. "I've watched Taliqua's career basically my whole life and I always wanted to play with her, so it's pretty cool that this could finally happen."