Horst/Hörl satisfied

Beach stars on their way to Paris

Alex Horst and Julian Hörl took an important step towards the Olympic Games by reaching the quarter-finals at the Beach Volleyball Challenge tournament in Saquarema (Brazil). The 0:2 loss against Cuba's Diaz/Alayo hurt less. Hörl was also struggling with a stomach virus.

Austria's beach aces Horst/Hörl missed the match for the group win in the Brazilian World Tour sand. "Julian spent the night before the tournament on the toilet, I felt the same two days before," said Horst. "Like two or three other teams, we obviously picked up a virus from Recife to Saquarema. That's why we wanted to save energy - and it paid off!"

The team was delighted after reaching the quarter-finals in Saquarema.(Bild: Horst/Hörl)

Because in the round of 16 against their Chilean cousins Grimalt/Grimalt, direct rivals for one of the coveted Olympic places, Horst/Hörl celebrated a 2:1 victory with a 15:11 win in the third set. They thus made it into the quarter-finals and, with fifth place, scored very important points for the Games in Paris. "The relief was written all over our faces," says Hörl. "I was already thinking about withdrawing from the tournament, as it had knocked me out at the top and bottom. But I wanted to take my chance and it worked out for us. We fought our way in and I found my rhythm again in the side-out."

The Cubans Diaz/Alayo awaited in the quarter-finals. However, the Viennese-Salzburg duo were a bit out of steam and had to retire quickly after 34 minutes at 14:21 and 17:21. "We knew that we were a big step closer to the Olympic Games by winning the round of 16. So it was logical that our heads and bodies were no longer ready." Instead, the anticipation for Paris is growing, where participation is only theoretically at risk via the rankings. "Playing in front of the Eiffel Tower, with a great backdrop, in a beautiful city," enthuses Horst, "that will certainly be something very special."

Martin Ermacora (left) and Philipp Waller were very happy with fourth place.(Bild: Ermacora/Waller)

The tournament was also pleasing for Martin Ermacora/Philipp Waller, who finished fourth after a long forced break in Brazil. The qualifiers were beaten 2:1 by Horst/Hörl's opponents Diaz/Alayo in the semi-finals. In the duel for bronze, they were again defeated by France's Bassereau/Lyneel 1:2 (-15, 16, -12).