- Beach duo Ehlers/Wickler is close to the medal
The beach volleyball duo of Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler can continue to dream of Olympic gold. The Hamburg natives defeated the Dutch pair of Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot 22:20, 21:15 in the quarterfinals, securing their fifth win in five games at the stadium near the Eiffel Tower.
This victory has sparked hopes for a second gold medal among German men, following the success of Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in London in 2012. Ehlers and Wickler will face the winner of the match between Pablo Herrera Allepuz/Adrian Gavira Collado (Spain) and Anders Berntsen Mol/Christian Sandlie Sorum (Norway) in the semifinals on Thursday.
The German women have already been eliminated from the competition. Once again, Ehlers and Wickler's blocking and serving pressure proved effective. Even when the Dutch took the lead late in the first set, the Germans responded strongly. In the second set, the Hamburg pair built an early lead, showcasing their defensive prowess and benefiting from several Dutch errors, including two aces served through the net.
Germany was represented by two women's teams in Paris: Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann lost in the round of 16, while Rio 2016 gold medalist Laura Ludwig and Louisa Lippmann failed to advance from the group stage. A total of 24 men's and women's pairs will compete for the Olympic title until August 10.
The German women's teams unfortunately did not make it far in the competition, with Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann and Rio 2016 gold medalist Laura Ludwig and Louisa Lippmann both failing to progress significantly. Despite this, the impressive blocking and serving pressure displayed by the German women, such as Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler, still served as a highlight of the tournament.
