Olympia - Beachvolleyball: Thole / Wickler miss medal in the sand

The beach volleyballers Julius Thole and Clemens Wickler have missed the semi-finals at their Olympic premiere. This also excreted the last German beach team in Tokyo.

Clemens Wickler fired his cap into the sand, Julius Thole stemmed completely frustrated his hands into the hips and shook his head: the Olympic medal dream of the German beach volleyballers was bursting in the quarterfinals. In the new edition of the 2019 World Cup final, Thole / Winder lost against the Russian world champion Oleg Stojanowski / Wjacheslaw Krassilnikov with 0: 2 (16:21, 19:21). Her Olympic premiere ended with it without the hoped for noble metal.

"It's extremely a pity to eliminate so shortly before the semi-final. Each defeat is bitter, now it hurts," Wickler said at the ARD microphone. Thole felt a "very big disappointment" and supplemented, "First of all, there is not that much through his head. Of course, a bit of disappointment. We did not quite come to our performance maxim."

Instead of collecting the first German duo after the London Olympic champions Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in the semifinals, the team from Hamburg must take the journey home. In the competitions in Shiokaze Park, the two women's teams were previously empty. In the end, Thole / Wickler, like Laura Ludwig and Margareta Kozuch, took the fifth place.

"We wanted to achieve a medal, we did not do that. That must be stated. That will be analyzed in peace," Beachvolleyball sports director Niclas Hildebrand announced: "We'll have to nibble well."

It remains with that: the leap on the podium in the men's beach volleyball so far only Brink / Reckermann 2012 as well as the Duo Jörg Ahmann / Axel Hager with bronze in Sydney 2000 managed. For women triumphed five years ago in Rio Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst. Beach volleyball has been in Atlanta Olympic since the summer playing in 1996.

Stojanowski / Krassilnikov with more precision

Thole / winder were confiscated sovereign in the quarterfinals, but Stojanowski / Krassilnikov showed them the boundaries on Wednesday. Before the eyes of Rio Olympic Champion Laura Ludwig, who left in the quarterfinals with their new partner Margareta Kozuch, both teams delivered a high-class duel. While the Russians usually acted with brute violence, Thole / Wickler tried with playful sophistication - but there were too rare.

"It's definitely good that it's not a final. Since we lost three times," Wickler had said in front of the duel. London Olympic champion Brink was confident. "I'm not worried about there," he said. Yes, it is now against the world champions, but when Thole / Wickler continued to play, he had "not a big scary". Even before the K.O. Round, Brink had said, "If they remain clear in the pear, a medal is in it." But it was nothing.

In contrast to the secondary final, when the German team was leaving the initial phase, Thole / Wickler was presented this time with the first ball change full of height. However, in decisive moments, Stojanowski / Krassilnikov were working with more precision and did not have a chance at the German.

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In the tournament preparation, Thole / Wickler had been thrown back by two injuries. First Wickler's acute blind farm OP crossed the plans, then Thole suffered a ribbon injury. Nevertheless, they played a strong preliminary round in Tokyo and managed it confidently to the quarterfinals. There was end station.