PARIS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Paris Olympics beach volleyball tournament started on Saturday at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, a temporary venue offering breathtaking views of the iconic landmark.
In the men's competition, the world's top-ranked Swedish duo David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig secured a straight 21-14, 21-19 victory over Australia's Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher. The Swedes utilized their unconventional jump-set technique, making their attacks unpredictable and challenging for the Australian blockers.
"A lot of people didn't believe that [the jump-set approach] would work so well, but we have practiced it for many, many years and now it is starting to work really well. I think we proved a lot of people wrong, but also there were a lot of people who liked the way we play and love to see our highlights," said Hellvig.
Despite the rainy conditions, the Swedes remained unfazed. "Of course, the ball can be a bit wet and slippery, so you need to keep your hands more together when you are setting, but that's pretty much the only thing. Of course, some people don't like it when it rains but we are used to it because we come from Sweden," added Ahman.
In the women's match, Tokyo Olympic silver medalists Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy of Australia edged out China's Xue Chen and Xia Xinyi 22-20, 14-21, 16-14.
The Australian duo initially built a significant lead in the first set, but Xue and Xia rallied and nearly turned the tide late in the set. The second set saw Australia falter under pressure, allowing a decisive third set where both teams battled to a 14-14 draw before Australia's powerful spikes helped clinch the win.
"We played to our level in the first match, but it was a pity that we didn't seize the key points as well as they did. There are still two group matches left, and we hope to learn from this match and keep on fighting," said Xia.
A total of 24 men's and 24 women's teams are divided into six pools each for the group stage. The top two teams from each pool and the two best third-ranked teams will advance to the round of 16. The remaining third-ranked teams will compete against each other in the lucky loser round in order to advance. ■
