Unexpected Heroic Duo wins CEV EuroBeachVolley 2024 Gold Medal
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The last two matches of the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2024 were some of the best matches of the tournament, played in an incredible atmosphere in The Hague, here's what happened.
The Final saw the Germans, Ehlers/Wickler go against the surprising team from Latvia, Plavins/Fokerots, a duo that had made their way from the "Reserve List" all the way to the Final in the Hague.
It was a balanced start to the match, both teams finding success in attack. Not until 6-6 that the Germans started pulling away, getting four points in a row, however the Latvians kept going and found their rhythm again, getting close to their opponents towards the second half of the set.
The second set was even more closely contested than the first one, mega rallies, blocks, super spikes, it had it all! Outstanding from both teams, especially from the Latvians who kept their cool at the right time to push this outstanding Final into a tie-breaker.
In the third set, Germans Ehlers/Wickler, the big favourites of the Final were stunned and frustrated by how everything seemed to go the Latvians' way. Aged 39, Plavins and Fokerots, aged 19, seemingly the most unlikely duo, have stunned the Beach Volleyball world and have won the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2024! For Ehlers/Wickler, a frustrating ending to what has been a great week, a fantastic effort to get another Silver Medal just one week away from the Olympics.
Final Score: Plavins/Fokerots LAT vs Ehlers/Wickler GER 2-1 (17-21, 22-20, 15-5)
The Bronze Medal match gave the home crowd another reason to cheer extra hard, if they ever needed one. Dutch pair, van de Velde/Immers started off very well against the favourites from Italy, Cottafava/Nicolai, and given the short turnaround time between the semi-finals and medal matches, it's always difficult to gage the level of the teams going into these final matches. The Paris 2024 Olympics silver medalists,Ehlers/Wickler were not going to let their lead slip and closed the set with a four points gap.
The Italians found it hard to get into the game and were trailing from early in the set, giving the Dutch the opportunity to build on the lead and push towards winning the first set. Despite not being enough to get back in the game, the late revival of the Italians carried on into the second set, which saw them pushing hard from the beginning and being relentless and expanding their lead with every opportunity, pushing the match into a tie break.
The final set started with a slight Italian domination, yet following a time-out, the Dutch managed to challenge again and getting increased hope that they might still win it. Fairytale ending for the Dutch fans, getting to celebrate one of their teams on the podium following one of the best match endings of the tournament, fully deserved bronze medal for van de Velde/Immers and what a tournament for both these teams.
