Nummerdor- Schuil seize gold medal victory at A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt– Volleyball News
Netherland’s Richard Schuil and Reinder Nummerdor demonstrated an up-to-mark performance in the final match of A1 Grand Slam men’s beach volleyball tournament on Sunday and claimed gold medal victory.
They edged out archrivals seventh-seeded Pedro-Marcio Araujo from Brazil by posting 2-1 (14-21, 21-12, 15-13) on board. The Klagenfurt stadium centre court in Austria hosted the significant match, which was attended by huge number of fans.
The early picture of the match was quite different from the outcome. Brazilian counterparts, Pedro-Marcio Araujo, came strong on the Dutch side and enjoyed better status on the scoreboard. Pedro displayed a skilful play, while Marcio Araujo seemed equally
active on the net. Both of them put up a combined effort and maintained their lead in set-1. Nummerdor/Schuil could not get the form to overcome the rivals and kept in chase for better time during the first set. Pedro-Macio Araujo remained consistent and claimed
opening stanza with seven points.
The loss of the first set forced the Dutch pair to take some serious steps. They returned in the second set with a different game plan. They did not repeat any silly mistakes and stayed focused on the ball. They pushed the rivals behind and locked them at
a low score. Brazilian duo ended up after scoring on 12 points, while Nummerdor/Schuil won the set.
In the decisive third set, the audience saw an exchange of long rallies. Finally, Dutch pair hit the mark and captured third set. South Americans dropped two sets in row and suffered the loss of a crucial match.
“Any win is a good one, but this gold medal victory, just before the Olympics is a great one for us,” said Nummerdor following the title match. “We started slow in both the semifinals against the Americans and against the Brazilians, but we switched tactics
in both matches and hung on by making fewer errors in both matches. We were 6-1 here in Austria which gives us some consistency and momentum as we head to the Olympic Games again.”
Upcoming Olympic Games in London is the next big challenge for Nummerdor/Schuil. In the previous edition of the Olympics in Beijing, China, Dutch pair finished fifth. The duo has great many plans to climb up the higher spot in London. The prelude victory
at the A1 Grand Slam will also serve as a competitive edge for the team.
Nummerdor-Schuil completed their 68th FIVB SWATCH World Tour event together. They added a ninth gold medal to their tally by winning the A1 Grand Slam men’s beach volleyball tournament. Overall, they have a total of 16 medals.
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