The Norwegian duo Anders Mol and Christian Sørum are reigning champions from the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. They made it through the group stage by winning three straight matches without dropping a set. The Norwegians had planned a secret move against the former NBA star Chase Budinger and his partner Miles Evans. – We serve very well, and we knew that was the Achilles heel of the USA. It is to “float-serve”, as we say. So, ball without screw, explains coach Kåre Mol to news. SLET: Former NBA player Chase Budinger struggled to stop Anders Mol. Photo: Reuters The move worked, because Mol and Sørum were in full control and won in two straight sets with the set numbers 21–16 and 21–14. – Americans are a little less used to it from the American league. They train a lot with a different type of ball that doesn’t “float” as much, so we created quite a bit of trouble for them right there, says coach Mol. The coach points out that it doesn’t help to be a former NBA star. – No, they can come up with anything. They have to come up with something more than that, he says. Former NBA player Mol and Sørum are ranked number seven in the world, while the American duo is ranked as the 13th best pair. But Budinger has several merits. The 36-year-old is a former NBA player. He played in the world’s best basketball league from 2009 to 2016, and got a total of 407 games. He gave up in 2017, and instead chose to focus on beach volleyball. STAR: Chase Budinger played for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA in 2016. Photo: AP The American received several congratulations before the championship from basketball stars, such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Durant and Budinger have known each other for a long time. – He has been a fantastically good volleyball player and a fantastically good basketball player all his life, says news’s expert Vegard Høidalen. But the American multitalent and his partner had no chance against Mol and Sørum. And in the second set, the two enjoyed themselves in the sun in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. – There are clear signs that they are in control, and they have simply started to play a bit here. We constantly see the difference in quality between these two teams, said Høidalen in the second set. – Dream draw The Norwegian pair meet Spain in the quarter-finals. In a possible semi-final, either the Netherlands or Germany await. – It is a dream draw, says Høidalen, and points out that Spanish Pablo Herrera is over the top. On the other side of the tree is the Swedish duo David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, who are ranked number one in the world. Published 05/08/2024, at 14.56 Updated 05.08.2024, at 15.10
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Mol and Sørum advance to the quarter-finals – knocked out former NBA star – Olympic Paris 2024
