Sweden went for the Gold

Beach Volleyball finished up this Saturday 10 August in the Olympic Village with Sweden taking gold against Germany in a game that lasted just over half an hour. The Germans settled for silver and Norway took bronze against Qatar. The Swedish pair, David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, took the gold medal in one of the shortest men's beach volleyball finals in Olympic history. 

The Swedish team beat the German duo, composed of Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler, in just 34 minutes. The game was dominated by the Swedish team who were in complete control, winning the first set 21-10 and the second 21-13.

It was Sweden's first Olympic gold medal in volleyball becoming the fifth country to win in the sport. Germany won its second medal in the category, after having won a bronze medal in 2000.

The Swedes have started to set a trend in the sport. They have become famous for their offensive style of play, known as the "Swedish jumping game". This adds an element of unpredictability to their attacking play, giving them an advantage as the opponents do not know where they are going to hit the ball.

The bronze medal went to Norway who beat Qatar 21-13 and 21-16. Norwegians Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Soerum got their second consecutive medal at the Olympic Games after taking gold in Tokyo 2020.

The Norwegian pair dominated the entire match and managed to beat the Qatari pair of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan who had also been hoping to win back-to-back medals, after their bronze medalists in Tokyo.

The match was decided in just over half an hour, with Norway dominating the first set, taking a big lead and finishing with a resounding 21-13 win. The second set was also very convincing for the European team, and although the Qataris tried to recover, they could not avoid defeat with the Norwegians winning the second set 21-16.

Brazil women dominated the match

Brazil's Ana Patricia and Duda won gold in women's beach volleyball, beating the Canadian team of Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana Paredes 2-1 under the Eiffel Tower on Friday 9 August at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Brazilian duo of Ana Patricia and Duda qualified for the final a couple of days before defeating Australians Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy by 2-1 in a in the semi-finals with an electrifying outcome. 

In earlier action the same day, Switzerland's Tanja Hueberli and Nina Brunner won 2-0 against Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy to secure the bronze medal for Switzerland.

The Brazilians started off better in that match, with quick finishes, but the Australians, runners up in Tokyo, were determined to get to the final and defended in the second set. The Brazilians pushed on and closed the set by 21-15. The third set defined everything until the Carioca victory.