26/06/2019 17:19
Sweden braced to host historic #EuroBeachvolleyU20 in Göteborg
CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championships 2019
Göteborg, Sweden, June 26, 2019. Sweden are about to host their first ever European Beach Volleyball Championship, as this year’s U20 continental showpiece begins on Thursday in Göteborg. Earlier this year, Sweden made Beach Volleyball history when the Scandinavian country hosted their first ever World Tour competition at Beach Center in Göteborg. The world’s biggest indoor beach centre will write history yet again as they, with the Swedish Volleyball Federation and Göteborg Beachvolley Club, will host Sweden’s first ever European Championship in the sport.
When some of Europe’s most talented young Beach Volleyball players play for this year’s U20 medals, Beach Center will open the outside courts, as the Swedish weather is a bit more forgiving this time around.
The hosts suffered a big loss before the championship has even started though as last year’s Youth Olympics gold medallist David Åhman/Jonatan Hellvig have had to split due to an injury. David Åhman suffered a knee injury during last week’s U21 World Championship in Thailand and it was uncertain if he would be able to bounce back in time for the U20 on home turf. Unfortunately, Sweden will have to make do without their superstar as Åhman’s knee proved to be not ready for another competition. Gustav Molin will step in to replace him. The men’s national team coach Rasmus Jonsson is however not worried for the injury or Åhman’s replacer.
“It is too uncertain at this time to talk about the extent of the injury but we have full support from the Swedish Olympic Committee and their team so I feel very safe,” said Rasmus Jonsson on the injury.
Gustav Molin, who is set to play with Jonatan Hellvig in the upcoming championship instead, came second in last summer’s youth national championship in tandem with Hellvig. “He is a very competent player and fits in well with our style of play. They played a couple of tournaments together last season and did well. For example, in the junior national championship where they lost in a tight game against David Åhman and Joel Andersson,” continued Jonsson.
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Joel Andersson is among the Swedish players on the championship roster and he will be playing with Alfred Brink this time around. Theodor Grahn and Hugo Morency will also be playing on home turf this week in Göteborg.
On the men’s side, Russia’s Dmitrii Veretiuk/Denis Shekunov are the strongest contenders on paper followed by Turkey’s Yusuf Özdemir/Ali Cebeci and Yorick de Groot/Matthew Immers of the Netherlands.
In the women’s competition, Raïsa Schoon/Emi van Driel (NED) are set to return to Göteborg and Beach Center after their first ever World Tour win earlier this year at that very same venue. The young duo said after April’s World Tour event that they would return to a place where they only had happy memories - which would help them at the U20 tournament as well. They are the second highest ranked team though as Russia’s Mariia Bocharova/Maria Voronina top the women’s main draw. Latvia’s Anete Namiķe/Varvara Brailko come in third.
Sweden have three teams in the women’s main draw with Filippa Brink/Rebecka Dahlgren, Hanna Hellvig/Isabelle Reffel and Sofia Andersson/Evelina Granberg. Hanna Hellvig, who plays for the national team in both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball, is the second member of the Hellvig family to play in Göteborg this week as her younger brother is Youth Olympic champion Jonatan.
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