Tokyo Olympics: Christian Sorum and Norway’s Anders Mol win men’s beach volleyball gold
Anders Mol’s first goal for the Olympic sea shore volleyball tournament was a main eight completion. That bit be the best ever for Norway, and one step farther than a specific Merita Berntsen made it in Atlanta.
“I always dreamed of beating my mom in the Olympics,” the son of the 1996 Olympian said after a triumph over Russia to win the gold award with Christian Sorum on Saturday.
“She had a ninth and I was actually really happy when we made the quarterfinal because we became historic,” he said. “It’s been a journey for a long time. And now I think our parents and our families are really proud of us right now.”
The top-seeded team in the Olympics and the most youthful at any point to win a beach volleyball gold, the Norwegians beat reigning world champions Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy 21-17, 21-18 in a intermittent rain.
With Qatar’s victory over Latvia for the bronze prior Saturday, each of the three nations on the platform – and every one of the six players – are first-time medalists. Indeed, the lone recurrent medalist at the Shiokaze Park setting was American April Ross, who won silver in London, bronze in Rio de Janeiro and gold with Alix Klineman on Friday.
Mol, 24, and Sorum, 25, figure to be a danger again at the Paris Games, which in light of the pandemic postponement in 2020 are only three years away. Also, if not them, there are four other Mol kin in the game who will be attempting to coordinate – however never beat – the family’s top finish.
“Anders has as saying, ‘This is only the beginning,'” said his father, Kaare Mol, who coached the Norwegian team this year just as he did for his wife’s team in Atlanta. “And maybe it’s only the beginning of the family history of beach volleyball.”
In the first-ever Olympic men’s sea shore volleyball last to coordinate with the main two seeds, the Russians drove 8-4 preceding surrendering six straight focuses, including one when Mol went up for a square and arrived on Krasilnikov’s foot.
Russia called break and limped to the seat for treatment, yet the match resumed and Norway stretched out the lead to 15-11.
“It was just a sports accident. It could happen in any game,” Stoyanovskiy said, answering in English for his partner. “It hurt a little bit, but it didn’t change our game plan. They were the best team today.”
The second set was tied 12-12 preceding Norway scored four points in a row and never followed again. After Krasilnikov served into the net on match point, Sorum dropped to his knees and Mol hopped onto his back.
They exchanged jerseys with the Russians, and afterward Mol swung Krasilnikov’s white tank top noticeable all around like a caught banner of give up.
“It’s been our dream for so long,” Sorum said. “Three years ago, I took a screenshot of the Olympic gold medal from Rio … on my phone and I watched that every day since. And to stand here with a gold medal with Anders and together with the team, it’s just amazing.”
Cherif Younousse Samba and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar beat Latvia 21-12, 21-18 in the third-place match for the principal Olympic award in the game for any country in the Middle East.
“Right now we are on the map forever,” Younousse said. “Beach volleyball in Qatar, it’s going to be on the map forever, too.”
Martins Plavins was attempting to procure his second bronze medal, to go with the one he won in London. All things considered, he and Edgar Tocs finish fourth – similarly as a day sooner.
