- Beach duo Ehlers/Wickler in the final - gold in sight
The first German gold coup in beach volleyball since 2016 is within reach for duo Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler after a thrilling Olympic semi-final victory against Olympic champions Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum from Norway. The Hamburg duo won 21:13, 17:21, 15:13 in the spectacular stadium near the Eiffel Tower.
Germany has already secured at least silver. In the final on Saturday evening (22:30), Ehlers and Wickler will face the winner of the match between David Ahman/Jonatan Hellvig (Sweden) and Cherif Younousse/Ahmed Tijan (Qatar).
A day's rest for the Germans
Sweden, who have had an outstanding season so far, are the big favorites of the tournament. However, Ehlers and Wickler have won all six of their games in Paris so far, mostly in impressive fashion.
The Hamburg duo had a day's rest before the semi-final, while their Norwegian opponents had not dropped a set so far in Paris. They started the game cautiously, with two serve errors. However, strong serves from Wickler and five blocks from Ehlers helped them go on a run to 13:8 in the first set. The Germans, who had not been able to beat Mol/ Sørum before, controlled the game. The German reception also allowed for variable attacks.
In the second set, the Olympic champions came back early and benefited from some German inaccuracies. The Hamburg duo caught up briefly, but the score was tied. In the tie-break, the German game was initially too imprecise, but a diagonal ball from Wickler and another block from Ehlers gave them a 5:4 lead. In a close set, the Hamburg duo had the better ending.
Ehlers/Wickler a team since 2022
This brings the hopes for the second gold coup among the men after Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in 2012 in London to an all-time high. In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst won the women's tournament.
Ehlers/Wickler are on the verge of crowning their joint time, which began in 2022. The duo consistently delivers top performances at elite tournaments, but the big win has not happened yet.
Two weeks before the Olympics, they narrowly lost to Mol and Sørum in the semi-finals of the tournament in Vienna after leading in sets. The Norwegians had to pause their preparation for Paris due to Mol's leg fracture but arrived in Paris in good form.
No medal chances for the women
Germany has no more medal chances in the women's competition. Ludwig and her new partner Louisa Lippmann failed to advance from the group stage. Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann lost in the round of 16.
Nils Ehlers and his partner Clemens Wickler will face David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig from Sweden or Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan from Qatar in the final on Saturday, aiming to secure Germany's first gold in beach volleyball since Nils Ehlers and his former partner Julius Brink won it in 2012.
Ehlers and Wickler have had an impressive run in Paris, winning all six of their games so far, and their thrilling semi-final victory against Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum from Norway has brought their hopes for a gold medal to an all-time high.
