Humans of beach handball: Asun Batista

“My mother is working as a member of the cabin crew in an airline, while my brother is a pilot. It was only logical that I was also inheriting this passion of travelling.”

But besides her day-to-day job working in a cabin crew, María Asunción Batista Portero, better known as Asun Batista, the current leader of the inaugural EHF Excellence Awards, has another huge passion: beach handball.

Her love story with beach handball started in a traditional way – with indoor handball. But as she discovered that handball could be played on a beach, there was no way back.

She cites the sense of camaraderie, of freedom and the bond created between the players as the main sources of inspiration.

“Fun between friends”

But it was no plain sailing. Or, in the flying terminology Batista is so accustomed to, there were mild turbulences before getting at this stage.

“When I first started, the sport was not so developed like it is now, with so many teams and so many players. It was like fun between friends, it was more on an amateur level for many. But it always had this excellent pull, I cannot put my finger on it, I cannot say exactly what it was,” says Batista.

“Everybody was having fun, everybody was just feeling the vibe, it was simply fun. And then it was one year of playing. And then more. I just realised: well, I am a beach handball player.”

Long-lasting friendships

Batista finds it difficult to really pinpoint the gravitational attraction felt towards beach handball, while, in fact, it is quite simple.

“It just sets me free. I am free, I am myself,” says Batista, who was named the MVP at the EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup 2022, where she was also the top scorer of the tournament with 168 points. Her team, GEA A.M. Team Almeria, finished on the third place.

But it is not necessarily about trophies – both team and individual ones – for Batista. Sure, winning them is an honour, it brings that rush of adrenaline to the head, but beach handball is more than that.

Ask any player, any coach, or everybody around the sport and they will bring up the same answer. While rivals on the sandy courts, players are mingling with their opponents after matches and after the tournaments end.

Long-lasting friendships are born, opinions are exchanged, parties are thrown, memories are made.

“Beach handball has thoroughly improved”

And Batista loves this.

“Everybody is eager for the summer to come and beach handball to really come to life. We are expecting every tournament because we all enjoy ourselves and it makes for great fun. And right now, the sport is even bigger, it is growing every year, because there are plenty of matches, plenty of tournaments, we can see each other more,” says Batista.

“Of course, the sport is evolving, it is getting more professional. Comparing the scene when I started playing beach handball and where it is now, sure, it has thoroughly improved.”

Discovering idyllic places

One of the perks of playing beach handball is discovering idyllic places, with outstanding landscapes that give a jolt of vacation for the mind. For Batista, it was a match made in heaven, fuelling her passion for travelling.

“I cannot choose only one place, because I was in so many, many beautiful countries and venues. Madeira, in Portugal, for example, it impressed me, it was picturesque and very nice,” says Batista.

But how does beach handball bode with Batista’s day-to-day job as a cabin crew member? Until now, it has been a challenge, but the Spanish player has always managed to create a good balance.

Camaraderie and fair play

Yet as more tournaments are on the horizon, things might be changing, with Batista facing a decision: it is either continuing her sporting career or dedicating herself to her day-to-day job.

“It might get to the point when I need to scale back on beach handball, because, you know, the job is also important, and it pays the bills. It will be a difficult decision, but I will always stay close to the sport and watch it, if I am not playing it anymore,” says Almeria’s stalwart.

“Either a fan or a friend, I do not know what the future holds right now. I would definitely like to share the values of beach handball in the next years, but I do not know if I can be a coach. I am afraid I do not have the needed patience.”

But whatever the future might hold for Batista, one thing is clear. She has made a huge, long-lasting mark on beach handball, being a role model on and off the court.

Yet what is the thing she liked most during these years?

“I cannot limit myself to only one thing,” concludes Batista. “I would say the camaraderie and the fair play.”

Photos © Uros Hocevar & Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff