Cut-throat Herrera had tough decision

BEIJING (Reuters) - After winning a surprise silver at the 2004 Olympics, Spanish beach volleyballer Pablo Herrera faced a tough decision -- to stay with partner Javier Bosma, and run the risk that he might retire before Beijing, or to dump him.

Bosma and Herrera were as shocked as anybody on the beach volleyball tour when they worked their way from the bottom of the pack all the way to the final in Athens.

Their success made them instant heroes in Spain but in the midst of all the sudden fame loomed the nagging question of: "what next?".

"Javier was already 36 by that stage and I wasn't sure he'd get to Beijing," Herrera said after a training session. "The risk of injury is that much higher and I couldn't hang around just in case he made it.

"If he'd retired in 2006, it wouldn't have left any time to build a new team," the 26-year-old added.

In a two-on-two game like beach volleyball, the choice of partner and the understanding built between them often makes the difference between good and great pairs.

While some pairs like U.S. world champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser gel immediately, partner-swapping is a common, and sometimes ruthless, practice in the quest for success.

Herrera quickly decided Bosma was too risky and the month after the Athens Olympics he teamed up with Raul Mesa, who he had played with in under-21 and under-23 competitions.

Since then, the pair have won two bronzes on the world tour and a gold in the European Championships in 2005.

"It's a difficult decision but in the end you have to ask yourself what is going to maximize your chances," Herrera said.

"You get to an Olympics, get silver and you want to do it again. You're on a run and you have to keep going."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)