Paris, France, August 8, 2024: In the shadow of the magnificent Eiffel Tower, Qatar’s beach volleyball pairing of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan are hoping to hit the heights in the semi-finals on Thursday evening (10pm local time).
Younousse and Tijan, the 13th seeds, will play Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, ranked No. 1 in the world, for a place in the final on the Eiffel Tower Centre Court.
If the 13th-seeded Qatari players can make it to the final, they will be able to improve on their bronze medal finish at Tokyo 2020 and write another chapter in their country’s sports history.
After beating ninth seeds Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh of the United States 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) in 39 minutes in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, Younousse said: "We are glad to have this opportunity because the Olympics is a very stressful process, but we are just trying to enjoy it moment by moment.
"It is a mental thing. Every time we are ready for the best or the worst. We have nothing to lose. We are here to enjoy it and try to dominate every single time."
Tijan added: "Our performance was unbelievable, really. Getting to the semi-finals means a lot. It means we have made a big effort to get this far."
Looking ahead to their semi-final opponents, whom they beat in the preliminary round, Tijan said: “We’re going to bring our level again, like we did before. We’ll see."
The Gulf Times reported that the playful Qatari pair had clearly set out to enjoy themselves with a cheeky style earning the support of a thunderous crowd as they spun the ball on their fingers, clapping and dancing with the crowd between serves.
After their victory against Partain and Benesh, they earned a standing ovation and led the crowd in a dance after completing victory.