- Lost final: silver to beach duo Ehlers/Wickler
Beach Volleyballers Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler fell short in their quest for Olympic gold, losing to Swedish favorites David Ahman/Jonatan Hellvig 0:2 (10:21, 13:21) in the final at the sparkling Eiffel Tower stadium. Despite the loss, securing the silver medal is the biggest achievement of their careers. In the final, the Germans found no way to pressure their opponents.
The only previous German gold medal in men's beach volleyball was won by Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in London in 2012. Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst took the women's title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The Germans had only managed to win one game against the young Swedish world number ones.
Ehlers/Wickler, a team since 2022, had set their sights on an Olympic medal from the start. Reaching the final was still a surprise. In Paris, the duo started off in top form.
In the semifinals, the Germans achieved their first-ever win against the reigning Olympic champions Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum from Norway. Ehlers/Wickler will begin their European Championship campaign in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The Olympic Games in Paris marked the first time Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler reached the final of the men's beach volleyball tournament. Regrettably, they missed the opportunity to claim Germany's second Olympic gold in this sport, achieving silver instead.
