It was a simple itinerary. Nothing more than, oh, to use Theo Brunner’s wild ride as an example, Xiamen to Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Chicago to São Paulo to Brasilia for this week’s Brasilia Elite16.
Fifty hours in total.
More if you include Trevor Crabb’s night in Singapore, which preceded stops in San Francisco, Houston, São Paulo and Brasilia.
That is all.
And perhaps even more so for Brunner. His plane from Xiamen was on the tarmac for five hours and he missed his connection. His layover in Los Angeles has gone from brief to three minutes with his wife as she takes me to terminal seven.
It doesn’t matter.
Grab a coconut, throw in one of those cool straws that make you look like you’re on your honeymoon, line up the electrolytes, remember what the sun feels like, what fresh air tastes like, what a life without double-sized ankles and screens omnipresent and blue light everywhere and pressurized cabins and flight attendants resemble each other.
And then, with just 24 hours off the plane, go play some of the highest level beach volleyball in the world.
Easypeasy.
That was the task imposed on the 19 teams in this week’s Brasilia Elite16, all of them traveling from China to Brazil on all kinds of adventures. Fights bring people together. And few will be more interested than the 38 individuals brave or crazy enough to board a flight from China to Brazil and try their hand at playing world-class beach volleyball.
Some even managed to do this.
Brunner and Trevor Crabb appeared to be no worse for wear during Wednesday’s playoffs, even if Crabb “spent an hour or three,” as he put it, thinking about retiring while at the San Francisco airport. For now, he’s glad he didn’t.
Twice he and Brunner faced a Brazilian team in the qualifiers 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).
“First time two-set couple,” Brunner said. He has to thank you for that. Trailing 16-18 in the second set, Brunner scored four consecutive points, deflecting and blocking the next three. The 19-18 lead was their first of the set, and one they would not relinquish, eventually sealed with a Crabb ace down the seam.
They were the only American team in the qualifiers and are now one of five in the weekend’s main draw. Brunner and Crabb will join Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, and Chase Budinger and Miles Evans. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, and Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, second and third place respectively, also went straight to the main draw.
Zoe Verge-Depre and Esmee Bobner claim critical qualifying victory
The most captivating storyline in the run-up to the Paris Olympics is the tug of war between Zoe Verge-Depre and Esmee Bobner, and older sister Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader for the last spot in Switzerland. Anouk and Mader were coming off silver medals at last weekend’s Xiamen Challenge, retaking the lead they had lost when Zoe and Bobner won gold in Guadalajara. As has been the case all year, the script changed again in Brasília, with Zoe and Bobner exiting the qualifiers and Anouk and Mader falling in the second round. A ninth or better will give Zoe and Bobner the lead once again.
Karla Borger and Sandra Ittlinger remain hot and advance to the main draw of Elite16 in Brasília
The team that may be having the best 2024 season ever, Germans Karla Borger and Sandra Ittlinger, continued their excellent play on Wednesday, winning both qualifying matches to advance to the main draw. After winning gold in Xiamen, the third-place finisher from Germany is currently just behind Laura Ludwig and Louisa Lippmann, who were seeded directly into the main draw.
Canadian women recovered early from Brasília Elite16
Sophie Bukovec and Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan and Molly McBain lost in the first round of qualifiers on Wednesday. If there’s any good news for Pavan and McBain, it’s that Spaniards Lili Fernandez and Paula Soria, the team right behind them in the Paris Olympic rankings, also crashed out in the first round, making qualifying day a virtual failure.
Chileans shine in qualifiers
Both Chilean teams, Noe Aravena and Vicente Droguett, and Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt, advanced from Wednesday’s qualifiers to the main draw. The Grimalts are peaking at an ideal time, winning the gold medal at the Xiamen Challenge, now extending the weekend in Brasilia as they make a late, heroic climb up the Olympic rankings.
Thursday’s U.S. game schedule
all eastern times
3h: Kristen Nuss, Taryn Kloth vs. Laura Ludwig, Louisa Lippmann (Germany)
4h: Miles Partain, Andy Benesh x George Wanderley, Andre Loyola (Brazil)
5h: Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner x Michal Bryl, Bartosz Losiak (Poland)
6am: Kelly Cheng, Sara Hughes x Nina Brunner, Tanja Huberli (Switzerland)
9am: Chase Budinger, Miles Evans x Stefan Boermans, Yorick de Groot (Netherlands)
11am: Kristen Nuss, Taryn Kloth x Carol, Barbara (Brazil)
Noon: Andy Benesh, Miles Partain vs. Steven van de Velde, Matthew Immers (Netherlands)
1pm: Trevor Crabb, Theo Brunner x Javier Bello, Joaquin Bello (England)
