What number of occasions had Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler come so shut they may style it — solely to depart parched and starved?
In 4 occasions in 2024 alone Germany had made a semifinal, but solely as soon as had they returned dwelling with a medal. The opposite three? Probably the most agonizing end in seashore volleyball: fourth.
No medal.
No podium.
Simply two bitter losses to swallow earlier than the following event whereas the princes of the seashore volleyball world, Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, could be topped as soon as extra.
On Thursday night on the Paris Olympic Video games, Ehlers and Wickler alas took the step ahead they’d been positioning themselves to do for nearly a full 12 months, gorgeous Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (21-13, 17-21, 15-13) to earn a berth into the gold medal match, the place they are going to meet Sweden.
Ehlers and Wickler’s string of fourths this season is an apt comparability to how they’ve performed Mol and Sorum previous to Thursday’s semifinal. Six occasions had they met, and 6 occasions had they misplaced. However the total file belied how carefully the 2 performed each other. Half of them went the complete three units. Solely as soon as, on the 2022 European Championships, did Norway win each units by greater than two.
They had been as near at the same time as two groups with such a lopsided head-on-head file could possibly be.
Germany couldn’t have picked a greater event to beat Norway, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalists, for the primary time. In a rematch of the Vienna Elite16 semifinals simply two weeks in the past, it was performed in a remarkably comparable method, Germany leaping out to a commanding first-set win (21-16 in Vienna, 21-13 in Paris), Norway recovering as they do (21-15 in Vienna, 21-17 in Paris), all culminating in a tense third set that would go both approach.
On Thursday, thanks for magnificent play from Wickler, among the best defenders of his era, and consistency from Ehlers, Germany alas prevailed, 15-13, squeaking out the ultimate level on a internet violation on Mol by which his leg clipped the underside of the online on a block that will have tied it at 14-14.
Germany challenged, and the replay confirmed Mol hitting the online, confirming an emotional win for Germany that left each Ehlers and Wickler on their palms and knees in disbelief.
Ehlers and Wickler are actually assured their first Olympic medals, the primary for the German males since Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann gained gold in London in 2012. What coloration it is going to be will likely be decided on Saturday, the place they are going to play a most acquainted foe in Ahman and Hellvig.
Sweden marches again from pool disappointment to gold medal match
David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig don’t usually want three lives to make their technique to a gold medal match in any seashore volleyball event. They’d made 10 straight finals previous to the Paris Olympic Video games and solely two groups managed to take a win off of the Swedes in 31 occasions attempting previous to Paris.
But in Paris, they wanted all of the lives the pool play format would enable for them. Twice they misplaced within the opening section of this event, although it didn’t a lot matter. They responded, discovering their legs and poise as soon as extra, with wins over Cuba and Brazil and, on Thursday, Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan (21-13, 21-17), who had been positively magnificent all the best way to the semifinals.
It wasn’t that Qatar performed considerably worse than that they had of their 5-0 begin to the Video games, it’s simply that Sweden alas performed like Sweden.
Ahman was his typical good self within the 21-13, 21-17 win, ending with 14 kills to only a single error whereas tripling Ahmed’s digs (9 to three). Hellvig, in the meantime, continues enhancing with each match. Shaky by way of pool play, Hellvig blocked 5 balls within the semifinal, greater than doubling Cherif’s whole. Offensively, he completed with 16 kills and hit simply 6 errors, lower than each Ahmed and Cherif.
Sweden has overwhelmed Germany in 10 straight matches, together with six in 2024 alone.
Saturday will mark the second time this season they are going to play for gold, the primary coming on the Espinho Elite16, the place they gained, 21-16, 21-13.
Ana Patricia, Duda survive first actual take a look at of Paris Olympic Video games
By means of the primary 5 matches, Brazil’s Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa, the world No. 1, hadn’t been examined. They’d gained all 10 units they performed, and solely as soon as did a crew draw inside two factors.
That modified on Thursday, when Australia’s Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy took the opening set, 22-20, off of Brazil.
It’s at all times intriguing, seeing how a crew responds to its first dose of adversity. Brazil couldn’t have responded higher, dominating the second, 21-15, and taking part in a squeaky clear third set to win, 15-12, in one of many highest-level units of the whole Olympics on the ladies’s aspect.
Ana Patricia and Duda, who’ve lengthy been stars in Brazil’s federation since they had been youngsters cleansing up the youth World Championships, have now locked in Brazil’s first Olympic medal since 2016.
The colour will likely be decided on Friday, after they play Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson.
Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson make historical past in Paris Olympics
Given the expertise of the Canadian ladies these previous three Olympic quads — Sarah Pavan, Heather Bansley, Brandie Wilkerson, Melissa Humana-Paredes, Sophie Bukovec — it’s a shock to most to study that there hadn’t but been an Olympic medal gained. Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson modified that on Thursday after they halted the freight prepare that was Switzerland’s Nina Brunner and Tanja Huberli.
After successful the opening set, 21-14, Brunner and Huberli had a match level at 20-19. Brunner made a wonderful dig within the angle, however an overset from Huberli was punished by Wilkerson, in a scene acquainted to USA followers who witnessed the identical throughout Canada’s upset over Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth.
Canada used its second life nicely, scoring the following two factors earlier than opening up a 4-1 lead within the third set.
However Switzerland responded, battling again to reclaim the lead at 10-9 on an intrepid over-on-one from Huberli into the deep nook in transition.
Regardless of.
Wilkerson, as is turning into behavior within the Olympics, took over, blocking two within the third set, snuffing the Swiss comeback in a 15-12 three-set win.
Assured a minimal of a silver medal, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson will change into the primary Canadian ladies to face on an Olympic podium. It isn’t the primary time Humana-Paredes has made historical past, after all. She’s virtually written the Canadian seashore volleyball file e book — first to win a World Championship, first to win a Commonwealth Video games, first to be ranked No. 1 on the earth, first of nearly every little thing.
On Friday, she is going to search to be the primary to win not simply an Olympic medal, however a gold one.
