Åhman and Hellvig lead Sweden to victory in Vantaa
Nations Cup
Led by reigning European champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, the young Swedish squad dominated the Pool D of the Preliminary Phase of the 2023 CEV Beach Volleyball Nations Cup, in Vantaa, Finland, guaranteeing their country a spot in the Finals of the event.
The Swedish, who also counted on strong performances from their second team, formed by 19-year-old Hampus Ekstrand and 18-year-old Jacob Hölting Nilsson, overcame Belgium, Cyprus, hosts Finland and Poland during the two-day competition held at the Biitsi Vantaa Beach Volleyball Training Center from Friday to Saturday.
In order to take the top spot in the pool and qualify for the Finals, which will be held later this year, the Swedish picked up wins against Belgians, Finnish and Polish in Vantaa, dropping just one set in the six matches they played during the event.
After triumphs against Belgium and Finland, the team coached by Rasmus Jonsson faced the experienced Polish in the finals. Young Ekstrand and Hölting Nilsson delivered a strong performance to open the series, topping Maciej Rudol and Pawel Lewandowski in straight sets (21-8, 21-13).
The second match of the duel was more balanced, with two-time Olympian Piotr Kantor and his new partner Jakub Zdybek taking the first set from Åhman and Hellvig, but the European champions came back to win in the tie-breaker (19-21, 21-11, 15-12) and confirm the Swedish triumph.
The victory made of Sweden the third country to confirm its presence in the men’s edition of the 2023 Nations Cup Finals, joining Switzerland and Austria. Two more finalists will be determined later on Saturday, with Pools B and C coming to an end in Netanya, Israel, and Heraklion, Greece, respectively. After that, there will be only three spots left, with the host country getting one and the last two pool winners claiming the other two in June.
Rasmus Jonsson"It was great to see Jacop and Hampus perform at this level against international competition. They had been training really well with David and Jonatan and it was awesome for them to win three matches in their first event of the season. David and Jonatan did what we expected from them and got some good competition ahead of next week's Beach Pro Tour event in Ostrava. It's great for Sweden to be one of the teams guaranteed in the Finals."
Sweden Head Coach
Created in 2022, the Nations Cup brings added weight in 2023 and 2024, serving as the European pathway in the qualification system for the beach volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympics – the countries that win the 2024 Finals among the men and the women will each earn a spot in the Games.
The event has a different competition format, promoting ‘country vs. country’ battles. Each nation is represented by two teams and the duels take place in a best-of-three format, with the decider, if needed, being a 15-point golden set.