From young guns to top guns – less than three years ago Julius Thole and Clemens Wickler were two young German kids trying hard to reach the main draws of their first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events as a team; now they are the best men’s duo of their country, standing high at number six in the FIVB World Ranking and well on their way to qualifying for their first Olympics.
They both come from volleyball families, but opted for beach because they like using all the technical skills and taking all the responsibilities a player on the sand requires to be successful.
In 2014, they both became European champions – Clemens at the U20 event and Julius at the U18, but it was only after teaming up with each other that they started earning podium spots on the World Tour.
Of course, Wickler’s big success in his pre-Thole time was the gold medal he and Moritz Reichert claimed at the 2013 FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championship in Porto. It was a turning point for the young German.
“In 2012, I got a bronze medal at my first U18 European Championship and then, in 2013, I took a gold medal at the U19 World Championship. This is when I decided to play beach volleyball professionally and moved to Berlin where they have better facilities and coaches. At the age of 18, I had everything I needed to be a professional player – two coaches, a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a manager, sponsors... – and I had the chance to partner with Armin Dollinger. So this is how my professional career started,” Wickler told Volleyball World.
“It was all going well. Armin and I played the World Tour. In 2015 we won the German Championship, my first title at the senior level. In 2014 I won gold at the U20 European Championship. It was great.... But then I had some tough times after injuring my knee. It took me over two years to recover and get back to business. But coaches believed in me, especially Markus Dieckmann, who trained me throwing balls at me while I was sitting in a chair to practise my setting. After winning the German Championship in 2017 I underwent surgery. It helped and I was finally ready to start again in January 2018. This is when I partnered with Julius and we began our journey together.”
As a native of Hamburg, Thole, who is two years younger than Wickler, did not need to move anywhere.
“My home town Hamburg has a huge place for me and my career. It hosts big tournaments now. I actually played my first World Tour event in Hamburg. Lorenz Schumann and I were really low on the reserve list for the Hamburg Major in 2016, but because we were actually there and some teams were absent, we got a chance to play qualifications. It was my first qualification at that level and when we won both our matches and made it through it was my first time in the main draw as well. It was incredible! Nobody actually expected us to play there. We lost all our games in the main draw, but it was a great experience,” the 2.06m-tall German said.
Before they partnered up for the 2018 season, Wickler and Thole had each earned one international medal at a senior level, on Europe’s continental tour. Their first podium together also came at a continental tournament when they won gold at the Gothenburg CEV Satellite in April of that year.
They failed to advance from the qualifications at three of their first four events on the World Tour, but made the main draw at the next six. And after they went all the way from the qualifiers to their first World Tour podium at July’s 4-star in Espinho. They have not had to play qualifications ever since. Six weeks later, they finished their rookie year with a fourth place at the World Tour Finals in Hamburg.
Already established as a team to beat, Thole and Wickler had an even more successful 2019. They took their first silver at the Hague 4-star. Their second came at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Hamburg where they gave the home crowd a lot to cheer about. It was the highlight of their career as a pair so far. Later that season, they also took bronze at the Moscow 4-star and silver at the World Tour Finals in Rome, to finish the year on a high note.
“Clemens and I played both the 2018 World Tour Finals and the 2019 World Championship, which were so successful and special for us, in Hamburg,” Thole added. “It’s so amazing that we are having these tournaments in my city and it’s such a great storyline that I really hope it’s continued.”
“We went through country quota and qualifications to become main draw regulars on the World Tour in the end and reach the top 10 in the rankings where we are at the moment,” said Wickler. “Of course, our greatest success was the silver medal at the World Championship in Hamburg. We’ve played some big games, but we want more. We want to play more, we want to achieve more. Therefore we train hard. The big goal now is the Olympic Games in Tokyo.”
Both Julius, now 23, and Clemens, 25, credit their success to the hard work and professionalism they have put in on the court and the friendship they have developed with each other off the court.
“I am really lucky to have Clemens by my side. We’ve played together for three years now, and we’re really having a great time. When we got together, we were not high-ranked, but made our way step by step and it worked out really well. The two of us are quite similar, both working really hard. Clemens is not only a really talented guy, but also a hard worker and really ambitious. It’s great to have him by my side, not only on the beach volleyball court. We are also friends off the court,” Thole said.
“Julius always supports me and tries to make the team better. He gives everything at practice and manages his life around the court in a way to be the best athlete he can be. This is how I live too and we fit together very well,” Wickler added. “At a personal level, I like him a lot. He is a very funny guy and we always have a great time on the Tour. So I’m very happy to have him by my side.”
Read more: Roster 100 to showcase stars of volleyball and beach volleyball
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