PARIS (Reuters) – Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig beat Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in straight sets to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s beach volleyball in a quick final at the impromptu arena at the base of the Eiffel Tower on Saturday.
At the floodlit stadium under the shimmering lights of the city’s most iconic monument, a pumped-up crowd wearing bracelets that lit up in a synchronised fashion celebrated each point, dancing to the tunes of the DJ in between.
On the white sand in perfect conditions, it was the Swedish pair – with their trademark jump-set that has caught so many opponents off guard – who sparkled as they wrapped up the contest in 36 minutes.
It was a far cry from the women’s final on Friday, which went the distance, as the 22-year-old Swedes won 21-10 21-13.
In the bronze medal match, Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Soerum, gold medallists in Tokyo three years ago, beat Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan in straight sets.
The Qatar pair won bronze in Tokyo but the Norwegians sealed a convincing 21-13 21-16 victory and then urged the crowd to celebrate with a “Viking clap” that echoed around the arena.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ken Ferris)
Source Agencies
