- "Never Give Up": Beach duo Ehlers and Wickler now on for gold
Beach Volleyballer Clemens Wickler paced nervously and waited for the most crucial referee decision of his career so far. Moments after the point for the final entry and the German gold chance at the Olympics was finally given, he lay in the sand in front of the Eiffel Tower in the arms of his partner Nils Ehlers.
"It's a huge joy from the deepest heart that comes up, usually with a few tears," said the 29-year-old Wickler. The first German gold coup in beach volleyball since 2016 is within reach for the duo after winning the Olympic thriller in Paris.
Against the Olympic champions Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum from Norway, the Hamburgers won their semi-final in the spectacular stadium near the Eiffel Tower 21:13, 17:21, 15:13. A net error by the Norwegians brought the match point.
At least silver is already secured for the German team. "That was always the goal every day in training," said an euphoric Ehlers. "It was always so far away. Some might have even laughed a little when we talked about it, but we never gave up." Immediately after the game, the Hamburgers went through a corridor of German fans to the tribune to hug their team.
One more day of rest for the Germans
In the final, the duo will face the winner of the duel between David Ahman/Jonatan Hellvig (Sweden) and Cherif Younousse/Ahmed Tijan (Qatar) on Saturday evening (22.30). The Swedes are the big favorites of the tournament after an outstanding season so far, but Ehlers and Wickler have won all six of their games in Paris - mostly impressively.
The Hamburgers had one more day of rest than their Norwegian opponents, who hadn't lost a set before the semi-final, but started a bit cautiously. There were two serve errors.
The Olympic champions come back
But strong serves from Wickler and some of the five blocks from Ehlers were part of a run to 13:8 in the first set. The Germans, who hadn't been able to beat Mol/Soerum before, controlled the game. The German reception also made variable attacks possible.
In the second set, the Olympic champions came back early and could benefit from some German inaccuracies. The Hamburgers came close again, but there was a tie. In the tiebreak, the German game was initially too imprecise, but a diagonal ball from Wickler and another block from Ehlers brought a 5:4 lead. In a close set, the Hamburgers had the better end.
Ehlers/Wickler since 2022 a team
This means that the hopes for the second gold coup among men after Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in 2012 in London are greater than ever. 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. Constantly, the two call up their performances at elite tournaments, but the big win has not been there yet. "The curse of the fourth places and I am simply incredibly happy that we have finally managed to break this curse here," said Ehlers.
Two weeks before the Olympics at the tournament in Vienna, they narrowly lost to Mol and Sørum in the semi-finals after leading in sets. The Norwegians had to pause their preparation for Paris at first due to Mol's leg break, but then traveled to Paris in good form.
No medal chance for the women
For the women, Germany no longer has any medal chances. 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 expressed his joy and relief after securing at least a silver medal, stating, "It was always so far away. Some might have even laughed a little when we talked about it, but we never gave up." In the closing stages of their game against the Norwegians, Ehlers delivered a crucial block, helping his partner Clemens Wickler and the German team secure the victory.
