Klagenfurt, Austria, August 3, 2003 - Brazil's Benjamin Insfran and Marcio Henrique Araujo claimed their second title of the 2003 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour on Sunday with a straight-sets victory over Americans Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong in the final of A1 Klagenfurt Grand Slam.
In front of a capacity center-court crowd in the Austrian lakeside resort, Benjamin and Araujo secured the gold with a 22-20, 21-17 victory, adding to the title they won at the Gstaad Open in Switzerland in June.
The bronze medal went to Swiss pair Patrick Heuscher and Stefan Kobel, who fought back from a set down to defeat Olympic champion Dain Blanton and Jeff Nygaard of America 19-21, 21-19, 15-8.
Playing what was their third final of the 2003 World Tour, Benjamin and Araujo managed to defuse the blocking threat of Wong with a powerful service game aligned with some superb ball control in their side-outs.
"We looked at the position of Kevin (Wong) in the semifinal because he has a great block and hand control, but I think we figured out his angles today," said 29-year-old Araujo. "But the most important thing for us was our side-outs, and to achieve this we needed our receive to be good. Secondly, it was our service, which I think went well."
It was the pair's sixth victory together and earned them crucial qualifying points in their bid to reach next year's Olympic Games. A maximum two teams from each country qualify for the Olympics and Benjamin and Araujo face a strong challenge from a number of very good Brazilian sides.
"It's harder for us Brazilians to reach the Olympics than other countries because we have so many strong teams - it's part of our culture," added Araujo. "For me, Athens may be my only Olympic Games. I am 29 now so I don't know if I'll get another chance.
"This win was vital for our careers, it's a grand slam so we get extra points. But there is still a long way to go and as soon as we get back to Brazil we will start training straight away, hard training for the rest of the season."
For Heuscher and Kobel, the playoff victory gave them their third bronze medal on the World Tour but their first in a grand slam event. It also allowed them to take an important step in their Olympic bid.
"We were a bit lucky in the second set, a few decisions and points went our way, but we found our power in the third set and I think our blocking made the difference.
"The result was very important for Athens next year. The race for Olympic qualification amongst the Swiss teams is by no means over, but this was a big step for us in the right direction," said 26-year-old Heuscher, who also claimed bronze at the Gstaad Open in Switzerland in June.
The men's 2003 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour takes a month-long break before resuming at the Mallorca Open on September 3. |
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