The third-last Olympic day in Paris brings the eighth Swiss medal. Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner secure beach volleyball bronze with a commanding two-set victory.
09.08.2024, 23:34
10.08.2024, 08:53
SDA
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- Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner secure beach volleyball bronze with a commanding two-set victory.
- The two Swiss women have taken the disappointment of the previous day in their stride.
- "At the moment, we're just very, very happy and proud," says Hüberli, summing up their feelings.
The collapse from the semi-final was not repeated on Friday evening. Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner have the match against the Australians Mariafe Artacho/Taliqua Clancy, the silver medallists three years ago in Tokyo, under control at all times. Brunner flew across the sand as usual and dug out almost impossible balls, while Hüberli returned to her usual confidence at the net - this time right to the sweet end.
Hüberli and Brunner hugged each other tightly in the sand at the end before running into the stands to hug their coaches. The contrast to the lost semi-final could hardly have been greater.
The two women from Central Switzerland only trailed twice this time, at 1:2 and 7:8 in the first set. It was only when they were leading 19:11 in the second set that the demons briefly came back. Hüberli and Brunner calmed themselves down again with a timeout and made everything clear after just 39 minutes.
Happy and proud
"At the moment, we're just very, very happy and proud," said Tanja Hüberli, composed but happy. The semi-final day had been tough because they were so close to reaching the final. And at 19:11, they were nervous again. "Our nerves got the better of us at the end, but we managed to turn the corner. It's mega nice and I'm very proud."
"This is a huge culmination of what we've achieved so far," says a beaming Nina Brunner, thanking everyone involved. "I'm really, really happy for everyone who has worked with us. We've been through a lot. We had to work hard on ourselves. And I think this is the best moment of our careers for both of us."
It's clear that the bronze medal needs to be celebrated properly on Friday evening. The two athletes are also smiling. "Everything is obviously organized. We're ready," grins Brunner. Watch the whole interview on SRF here.
Hüberli/Brunner secured Switzerland's third Olympic medal in beach volleyball. Joana Mäder (formerly Heidrich)/Anouk Vergé-Dépré (2021) and Patrick Heuscher/Stefan Kobel (2004) had already secured bronze before the pair from Schwyz and Zug.
Semi-final drama put away
The two-time European champions Hüberli/Brunner, ninth at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, showed their old strength again the day after losing the semi-final, which had brought them five two-set victories in a row in Paris. The bronze medal is therefore more than deserved. The only brief moment of weakness was when the women from Central Switzerland had victory in sight in the semi-final.
The bitter defeat after a missed match point against Melissa Humana-Paredes/Brandie Wilkerson from Canada had no consequences in the bronze medal match. After an even start to the match up to 8:8, the Swiss were able to pull away to 12:8 with four points in a row. They held on to this lead to win the first set. The performance of the women from Central Switzerland was even more commanding in the second set, in which they led by up to eight points (17:9 and 19:11).
