Okay, so, I’ve been diving deep into this whole beach volleyball thing lately, specifically the Lithuanian women’s team. They’re making history, you know? They’re gonna be the first Lithuanian beach volleyball team to play at the Olympics, in Paris this year. Pretty cool, right?
So, I started digging around early one Tuesday morning. I was just browsing, you know, looking up anything I could find about them. I found out they’re relatively new to the big leagues, they played in the 2023 A1 CEV EuroBeachVolley. That’s some big tournament, apparently.
Then I stumbled upon this match they had against some American team, Lindahl and Hodel. These Lithuanians, they were down a set but managed to turn it around and win 2-1. The scores were 21-23, 21-18, and then some. That’s what I call a comeback!
Practice Makes Perfect
I thought to myself, “I gotta see these ladies in action.” I tried to find some videos of their training. You know how beach volleyball players usually wear bikinis? It makes sense, I guess. They need to move freely, be quick. I watched some professional players train, it’s intense! They are so strong and fast, jumping and diving all over the place. They do these drills where they practice spiking the ball, setting it up, and digging it out of the sand. It’s all about teamwork, those two players have to be totally in sync.
Then I was reading about how beach volleyball matches are gonna be held right in front of the Eiffel Tower during the Olympics. Can you imagine playing with that as your backdrop? Amazing! I read that on August 2, there will be a big game at Eiffel Tower Stadium, but not for Lithuanians, for the Japanese women’s team though. I wish I could see the Lithuanians play there.
Diving Deeper
I kept going, you know, down this rabbit hole. I started looking at the official schedule for Team Lithuania at the Paris Olympics. They have events marked for days from July 26 to August 11, it says. Wow, that’s a lot of volleyball.
I also learned about this legendary player, Misty May-Treanor. She’s like, the queen of beach volleyball or something. She’s won 112 career victories, including three gold medals at the Olympics. I mean, wow. She’s a legend.
Imagining the Gold
Then I found this article about a gold medal match. It said Brazil beat Canada 2-1 to win the Olympic gold, right there in front of the Eiffel Tower. So exciting!
This whole journey, it’s been pretty wild. I started out just curious about this Lithuanian team making history, and now I’m imagining them playing for gold in front of the Eiffel Tower. I don’t know if they’ll win, but just the fact that they’re the first Lithuanian team to ever make it to the Olympics, that’s something special. I’ll definitely be watching and cheering them on!
This research also let me know that the men’s beach volleyball at the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match will air on some TV channels. I hope they will also broadcast the women’s game.
It’s crazy how one little search can lead you down this whole path. Now I’m just excited to see how they do. Go, Lithuania!
