Paul Burnett (beach volleyball) and Chris McHugh dropped only one set on the way to the final but faced a stern test from the Canadians before a thrilling two-point win in the deciding set to win gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Burnett, who was Australia’s lone debutant on the four-member beach volleyball team, teamed up with McHugh in the second half of 2021. The pair got off to a good start, claiming the Asian Beach Volleyball title in Phuket in November 2021, before winning the Cobram Barooga Classic in February 2022, their first tour event win on the Australian circuit. Canadian-born Burnett has a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Adelaide and worked as a dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic when sports around the world were paused.