The German volleyball players also disenchanted world champions Italy at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Rio and took a giant step towards Paris. Less than 24 hours after the coup over hosts Brazil, national coach Michal Winiarski’s team beat the favorites 3-1 (26:24, 18:25, 25:20, 25:23) on Wednesday (October 4th, 2023). fourth win in fourth game.
Due to the remarkable success, the starting position is excellent. The selection of the German Volleyball Association (DVV) leads with twelve points ahead of the previous leaders Italy (9), followed by Cuba (6) and Brazil (5), who have each played one game less. The top two teams in the tournament make it to the Summer Games.
Captain Kampa has to pass
“I have goosebumps, I can’t believe what we’ve done here“Star player Georg Grozer said about Brazil after the 3-1 (21:25, 25:19, 25:19, 28:26) but was warned.”We can’t celebrate yet, we still have a long way to go“, emphasized the 38-year-old, and Italy was “a tough cookie“.
Even without captain Lukas Kampa, who can no longer play in the tournament due to a calf injury, the German team started strongly. The DVV team initially missed three set points, but stayed cool and won the first round 26:24.
Second match point is in place
After the Italians were able to equalize at 1-1, Grozer and Co. took the third set, also dominated the fourth and used the second match point.
Before the success over the Brazilians, the DVV team had already won the first two games against Iran and Cuba. The other opponents in Group A, the Czech Republic (Saturday/1.30 a.m.), Qatar (Sunday/1.30 a.m.) and Ukraine (Sunday/10 p.m.), are feasible.
In three groups of eight, the best two teams will secure their starting place for the 2024 Olympic Games; host France is seeded. A German selection was last represented at the Summer Games in London in 2012. If Germany doesn’t take one of the top two places, there would still be a chance of reaching the world rankings. The German women, who finished their qualifying tournament in fifth place, are also hoping for this.