It was a easy itinerary. Nothing greater than, oh, to make use of Theo Brunner’s wild trip for example, Xiamen to Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Chicago to Sao Paulo to Brasilia for this week’s Brasilia Elite16.
Fifty hours in whole.
Extra when you embrace Trevor Crabb’s in a single day in Singapore, which preceded stops in San Francisco, Houston, Sao Paolo and Brasilia.
That’s all.
And possibly much more for Brunner. His aircraft from Xiamen sat on the runway for 5 hours and he blew by his connection. His layover in Los Angeles went from transient to three-minutes-with-the-wife-as-she-drives-me-to-terminal-seven transient.
Irrespective of.
Seize a coconut, throw in a type of cool straws that make you seem like you’re in your honeymoon, mainline the electrolytes, keep in mind what the solar seems to be like, how recent air tastes, what life with out ankles double their measurement and ubiquitous screens and blue mild all over the place and pressurized cabins and flight attendants resembles.
After which, on barely 24 hours off a aircraft, go play the very best stage seaside volleyball there’s on the planet.
Straightforward peasy.
Such was the duty positioned on 19 groups at this week’s Brasilia Elite16, all of whom discovered their manner from China to Brazil in all method of roues. Struggles bond people. And few will probably be certain greater than the 38 people brave or loopy sufficient to hop on a flight from China to Brazil and try and play world class seaside volleyball.
Some even managed to do this.
Brunner and Trevor Crabb appeared hardly any worse for the damage throughout Wednesday’s qualifier, even when Crabb “spent an hour or three,” as he mentioned, considering retirement whereas within the San Francisco airport. For now, he’s glad he didn’t.
Twice he and Brunner matched up with a Brazilian crew within the qualifier, and twice they swept, beating Gabriel Dos Reis and Pedro Sousa (21-14, 21-18) and Arthur da Silva and Adrielson Dos Santos (21-19, 23-21).
“Couple two-setters for as soon as,” Brunner mentioned. He has himself to thank for that. Down 16-18 within the second set, Brunner scored 4 straight factors, siding out and blocking the next three. Their lead at 19-18 was their first of the set, and one they wouldn’t relinquish, finally sealed with a Crabb ace down the seam.
They have been the one American crew within the qualifier, and now they’re one in every of 5 whole within the weekend’s important draw. Brunner and Crabb will be part of Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, and Chase Budinger and Miles Evans. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, and Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, seeded two and three, respectively, have been additionally straight into the primary draw.
Zoe Verge-Depre, Esmee Bobner land essential qualifying victory
Essentially the most charming storyline within the race to the Paris Olympics is that of the tug-of-war between Zoe Verge-Depre and Esmee Bobner, and older sister Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader for the ultimate Swiss spot. Anouk and Mader have been coming off a silver medal eventually weekend’s Xiamen Problem, retaking the lead they’d relinquished when Zoe and Bobner received gold in Guadalajara. Because it has gone all yr, the script once more flipped in Brasilia, with Zoe and Bobner making it out of the qualifier and Anouk and Mader falling within the second spherical. A ninth or higher will give Zoe and Bobner the lead as soon as extra.
Karla Borger, Sandra Ittlinger keep scorching, advancing to the Brasilia Elite16 important draw
The crew who could also be having the best 2024 season of all of them, Germans Karla Borger and Sandra Ittlinger, continued their wonderful play on Wednesday, profitable each qualifier matches to advance into the primary draw. After profitable gold in Xiamen, Germany’s No. 3 crew at present sits simply behind Laura Ludwig and Louisa Lippmann, who have been seeded straight into the primary draw.
Canadian girls bounced early from Brasilia Elite16
Each Sophie Bukovec and Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan and Molly McBain misplaced within the first spherical of the qualifier on Wednesday. If there’s excellent news for Pavan and McBain, it’s that Spain’s Lili Fernandez and Paula Soria, the crew straight on their heels within the Paris Olympic rankings, fell within the first spherical, too, making it largely a wash of a qualifier day.
Chilean males shine in qualifier
Each of Chile’s groups, Noe Aravena and Vicente Droguett, and Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt, superior from Wednesday’s qualifier and into the primary draw. The Grimalts are peaking at an excellent time, profitable a gold medal on the Xiamen Problem, now extending their weekend in Brasilia as they make a late and heroic push up the Olympic rankings.
USA Thursday taking part in schedule
all instances Jap
3 a.m.: Kristen Nuss, Taryn Kloth vs. Laura Ludwig, Louisa Lippmann (Germany)
4 a.m.: Miles Partain, Andy Benesh vs. George Wanderley, Andre Loyola (Brazil)
5 a.m.: Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner vs. Michal Bryl, Bartosz Losiak (Poland)
6 a.m.: Kelly Cheng, Sara Hughes vs. Nina Brunner, Tanja Huberli (Switzerland)
9 a.m.: Chase Budinger, Miles Evans vs. Stefan Boermans, Yorick de Groot (Netherlands)
11 a.m..: Kristen Nuss, Taryn Kloth vs. Carol, Barbara (Brazil)
Midday: Andy Benesh, Miles Partain vs. Steven van de Velde, Matthew Immers (Netherlands)
1 p.m.: Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner vs. Javier Bello, Joaquin Bello (England)
