Top-seeded David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig, the number one team in the FIVB World Ranking, advanced to the final of the men’s Olympic beach volleyball tournament in Paris and will lock horns with Germany’s Nils Ehlers & Clemens Wickler for the gold on Saturday evening. In Thursday’s last semifinal match, the Swedish jump-setters shut out Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan of Qatar and secured their country’s first-ever Olympic medal in beach volleyball.
The 22-year-old Swedes delivered a 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) sweep of their encounter with Cherif & Ahmed, the only one of the four semifinals in the two genders that was resolved in straight sets, and handed the Qataris their first defeat in six matches played at Paris 2024. Ahman & Hellvig themselves improved to a 4-2 win-loss record.
With Ahman spearheading the Swedish attack and Hellvig chipping in a couple of kill blocks, the European duo mercilessly hammered out an emphatic 21-13 win in a quite one-sided first set. Cherif & Ahmed fought back in the second set, and, scoring five points in a row, they broke away with an 8-4 lead. They kept in front until 11-8, when Ahman & Hellvig took their turn in scoring a five-point run to regain the lead. The Qatari team caught up momentarily at 13-13, but that was the last time the score was level. The Swedes broke away again and cruised on to a 21-17 close, crowned by a monster block from Hellvig for the match winner.
