The Paris 2024 Olympic Games kicked off with thrilling beach volleyball matches at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Saturday. The women’s event saw a nail-biting encounter in Pool B, where Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho Del Solar edged out China’s Xue Chen and Xia Xinyi in a tight 2-1 (22-20, 14-21, 16-14) victory. Despite the Chinese team’s strong performance, Clancy and Artacho’s effective spiking made the difference, scoring 21 and 20 points respectively.
In another match, the U.S. duo of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, ranked No. 2 globally, comfortably defeated Canada’s Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec 2-0 (21-17, 21-14). Kloth and Nuss demonstrated a balanced attack and solid defense, with Nuss contributing 15 points and Kloth 13. The American pair will face Clancy and Artacho in their next match on Monday.
The men’s competition also began with notable performances. Cuban pair Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo, previously under the radar, surprised everyone with a straight-set victory over the U.S. team of Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh. Other men’s matches saw Sweden’s Ahman & Hellvig, Brazil’s George & Andre, and Qatar’s Cherif & Ahmed each secure 2-0 wins in their respective matches.
The enthusiastic crowd, undeterred by rain, enjoyed an electrifying atmosphere under the iconic Eiffel Tower, cheering on the athletes throughout the day.
