Mol / Sørum – Vitor Felipe / Renato 2-0 (21-15, 21-16) Anders Mol and Christian Sørum won the first ever Norwegian World Cup gold in sand volleyball, after defeating the Brazilians Vitor Felipe and Renato in straight sets under the floodlights in Rome on Sunday. – It is completely incredible. It has been our dream for so long, and doing it here in front of so many people is fantastic, says Christian Sørum after the match. – I hope people see how much fun we have on the court. We love doing this, adds Anders Mol. The duo has previously won gold in both the Olympics and the European Championships, but has never before managed to go all the way to the top in the World Cup. – It is our dream to take more titles, and get more people to play this fantastic sport. It’s a nice sport and nice family. We want the sport to grow and achieve the potential it actually has, says Anders Mol. Won in straight sets POINTS: Anders Mol smashes in a point against Vitor Felipe. Photo: Andrew Medichini / AP The Brazilians opened the first set best, and surprised the Norwegians initially, but it did not take long before Mol and Sørum tightened their grip on the final. In the end, they won the first set 21-15. In the second set, the Norwegians opened best, but got competition from the Brazilians throughout the set. In the end, however, there was little doubt about where the gold was going. With the set numbers 21-16, Mol and Sørum secured the victory, and a historic World Cup triumph. Brazilian opposition The Norwegian duo’s path to the final has been marked by a number of Brazilian opponents. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Alison and Guto with the numbers 23-21, 21-13. Also in the semifinals, another Brazilian couple waited in André and George, and also there Mol and Sørum won in straight sets. After the semi-final victory, Anders Mol was clear that the World Cup gold was the title they had always dreamed of. – This is the title we have always wanted. In 2009 we saw the World Cup in Stavanger, and that was when the dream started. Standing here today is a dream, and it’s fun to play in front of an audience again, Mol said then. HAPPINESS: It meant a lot to reach the final of the World Cup. Mol and Sørum embraced each other after the semifinal victory. Photo: Andrew Medichini / AP Troubled entrance The road to the World Cup gold, however, has not been a dance on roses for the Norwegian duo. Since they took a superior Olympic gold last summer, it has been a bit blunt for the duo. Christian Sørum has struggled with a shoulder injury in 2022, and they had to stand the dress rehearsal for the World Cup in Rome. This resulted in a year with fewer matches and fewer tournaments for the Norwegians, who also fell in the rankings. From being ranked as the best in the world for a number of years, the duo entered the World Cup ranked as number nine. The semi-final opponents, André and George, entered the World Cup as world leaders in the rankings.
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Historic World Cup gold for Mol and Sørum – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
