The German volleyball players have made an exclamation mark at the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Georg Grozer and Co. won against hosts and co-favorites Brazil on Tuesday (October 3, 2023, local time) 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 28:26). This means the Germans have three wins from three games.
“I have goosebumps, I can’t believe what we did here today”said Grozer, who contributed 27 points to the win: “Congratulations to the team, that’s unbelievable, I have to process it myself first.” However, the 38-year-old also warned: “We can’t celebrate yet, we still have a long way to go.”
Captain Kampa is out for the rest of the tournament
A downside is the loss of captain Lukas Kampa, who will miss the remainder of the tournament due to a calf injury. “It’s very annoying. After initial hope, the diagnosis turned out to be too bad and we have to react”Kampa said: “I am extremely sad, but at the same time I remain very confident that we can achieve our goal.” Jan Zimmermann takes his place.
World champion Italy next opponent
The Germans will continue against world champions Italy early on Wednesday evening (6.30 p.m.). “It’s going to be a tough one”said Grozer, whose team won the first two games against Iran and Cuba. Other opponents in Group A are the Czech Republic, Qatar and Ukraine.
From the three groups of eight, only the best two teams will secure participation in the Olympic Games, which host France has already secured. The last time a German team was represented at the Summer Games was in London in 2012. If Germany does not occupy one of the two required places, there would still be another chance to reach the world rankings. The German women, who finished their qualifying tournament in fifth place, are also hoping for this.