Norwegians Mol/Sorum are also European Champions
After winning the Gstaad Major last weekend, Norwegian youngsters Anders Mol and Christian Sorum are also the new European Champions. Playing like real champions, they didn’t leave Latvia’s Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins any chance and won the final in two sets (21:17, 21:13). Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira won the bronze medal.
Especially with Anders Mol’s incredible blocking skills, they are now Norway’s first European Champions since 1997. Christian Sorum after the final:
“The two last weeks have been really amazing for us. We played great volleyball. I felt like we were in a bubble, we were really focused. If it is match ball or the first point, it does not matter.”
In a rematch of the Gstaad final a week ago, Mol/Sorum had again beaten Spain’s Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira in two sets to secure Norway’s first participation in a Euro final in 20 years.
In the second semifinal, strong Latvians Samoilovs/Smedins had easily beaten Russia’s Semenov/Leshukov to reach their fifth final in six years. The Latvians did a great job of avoiding 210 cm blocker Semenov. With a couple of fast and long sets they managed several attacks without block since Semenov wasn’t able to move quick enough. Aleksandrs Samoilovs:
“Since we are small, that is the way we have to play against big boys.”
In the women’s competition, it was home team Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink who won gold in front of an “orange” crowd. In the absence of Canadian and Brazilian teams who had dominated international beach volleyball recently, they posted a two-set win in the final against Tanja Hüberli and Nina Betschart from Switzerland. Ostrava winners Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova claimed the bronze medal.
