In a thrilling upset at the Paris 2024 Olympic beach volleyball event, Qataris Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan secured their second victory of the tournament by defeating the top-seeded Swedish team, David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig. The Qataris triumphed with a dramatic 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, 20-18) win, advancing to the knockout stages.
The match was a gripping contest, with Cherif and Ahmed staging a fierce comeback from a set down. Cherif, who was the top scorer with 36 points, played a crucial role with five aces and four kill blocks, while Ahmed added to the victory with solid performance and key plays. Despite a strong showing from Hellvig, who recorded eight kill blocks and 29 points, the Swedes faced their first loss of the tournament.
Cherif praised the challenging nature of the match and expressed the team’s readiness to continue their campaign. Ahmed echoed the sentiment, noting the exhaustion but also the determination to push forward. The pair leads Pool A with a perfect 2-0 record, while Ahman and Hellvig, along with Italy’s Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai, who won their match against Australian underdogs, will compete for the remaining top spots in their final pool match.
In other action, American duo Miles Evans and Chase Budinger made a significant impact by defeating French team Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat 2-0 (21-14, 21-11), marking a strong Olympic debut. Meanwhile, in Pool F, Dutch team Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot defeated Spain’s Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira 2-0 (21-15, 21-15), halting Herrera’s quest for a record sixth Olympic appearance.
