Marco Grimalt

Marco Alfonso Grimalt Krogh (born 11 July 1989) is a beach volleyball player representing the Chilean national volleyball team. He has participated in the Pan American Games in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, as well as the South American Games in 2010 and 2014. He represented Chile at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Teaming up with his cousin Esteban Grimalt, he clinched the gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games and was honored with the National Sports Award in 2022.

Career
Grimalt was born in Queilén, Chiloé, but grew up in Linares, Maule Region. His passion for volleyball developed early, influenced by his father and several relatives who played the sport. Alongside his cousin Esteban Grimalt, they began dedicating themselves to beach volleyball in 2006, primarily during the Chilean summers due to the country's climate.

After their participation in the 2010 South American Games in Colombia, where they secured a bronze medal, the Chilean Association of Olympic Athletes approved a project that allowed them to focus on beach volleyball year-round.

In the 2011 Pan American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Grimalt duo fell short of reaching the quarterfinals, with one win and two losses. The following year, they clinched the gold medal in the inaugural Bolivarian Beach Games in Lima, Peru. In 2012, they also claimed gold in the South American Beach Volleyball Circuit held in Santa Fe, Argentina.

In 2014, Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt participated in the 2014 South American Games in Santiago, Chile, earning a silver medal after losing in the final to the Brazilian team of Alison Conte and Bruno Oscar de Almeida.

At the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, they finished in fourth place. At the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, they won the gold medal by defeating the Mexican duo of Rodolfo Ontiveros and Juan Virgen in the final.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Grimalt duo was defeated in the round of 16 by Konstantin Semenov and Ilya Leshukov, who represented the Russian Olympic Committee.

At the 2022 South American Games in Asunción, the Grimalts won the gold medal by defeating the Argentine duo of Nicolás and Tomás Capogrosso.