Beach duo fight their way to the finals in the crime drama
A victory against the Olympic champions allows the German beach volleyball duo to dream of Olympic gold: Clemens Wickler and Nils Ehlers secure a place in the final with a thriller on the sand. The first medal for the beach volleyballers since 2016 is thus assured.
The Olympic champions defeated, gold within reach: Twelve years after the triumph of Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann, the German beach volleyballers can hope for their next Olympic moment. Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler defeated the Norwegians Anders Mol and Christian Sørum 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 15-13) in the exciting semi-final in Paris. In the final on Saturday (10:30 PM), Ehlers/Wickler can crown their winning streak and make history.
In the gold medal match, the world number threes will face the world number ones David Ahman/Jonatan Hellvig from Sweden or the Qataris Cherif Younousse / Ahmed Tijan. It is already certain that for the first time since the triumph of Brink/Reckermann in 2012 in London, a German men's duo will stand on the Olympic podium.
Veteran Grozer present
"We are really proud to be able to play two more games in this cauldron," Ehlers said after qualifying for the semi-finals on Tuesday against the Dutchmen Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot. Wickler added confidently: "It's the wrong approach to start from fourth place. Therefore, we're going to give it our all and try to play for the medals."
The match against the Norwegian Olympic champions of 2021 developed into a thrilling game in full sunshine and temperatures of 28 degrees on the Parisian Mars field. Neither team could pull away in the first set; at 3-5, Ehlers/Wickler then scored four consecutive points, forcing the Norwegians to take their first timeout.
The Germans then consistently extended their lead, with a spectacular block by Ehlers securing the clear set win. The second set started evenly, but the Norwegians then pulled ahead by up to six points.
Ehlers/Wickler, however, remained unfazed and continued to play a concentrated game. They made up for a 1-3 deficit in the third set point by point, went into the lead 12-10 - and never gave it up again. The second match ball was in - after video review.
In Paris, Ehlers/Wickler have been on an unstoppable winning streak from the first match. In the preliminary round, the duo, who have been playing together on sand since the end of 2021, had already secured three convincing victories. They followed this up with a statement win in the round of 16 against the world number twos George/Andre from Brazil.
Ehlers/Wickler are the only beach volleyball duo from Germany still in the running for medals. The women's team of Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann failed to reach the quarter-finals. Rio Olympic champion Laura Ludwig and Olympic debutant Louisa Lippmann had already been eliminated after the group matches.
Building on their victories, Ehlers and Wickler aim to claim gold: With their thrilling semi-final win against the Norwegians, the German beach volleyball duo continues its impressive run in Paris, setting their sights on the title and potentially replicating the success of Brink and Reckermann in 2012.
In the final showdown, Ehlers and Wickler will face formidable opponents: As they prepare for the gold medal match, the world number threes will encounter either the world number ones Ahman/Hellvig from Sweden or the Qatari duo Younousse/Tijan, both of whom are determined to halt the German team's winning streak and claim Olympic glory.
