Brink/Reckermann go for back-to-back crowns to celebrate great comeback
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Julius Brink (right) and Jonas Reckermann of Germany celebrate their second European crown together |
The Hague/Scheveningen, Netherlands, June 3, 2012 - Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann shattered the dreams of Emiel Boersma and Daan Spijkers to complete the Dutch party on the beach of Scheveningen on a Sunday afternoon that was certainly cold but still dry up to the very end of the awarding ceremony that followed the men’s final. The 2009 World champions and last year’s European gold medalists from Germany added another honor to their impressive collection by edging the home heroes in straight sets (21-17, 22-20).
Jonas Reckermann turns into one of the most successful players in the still relatively young history of the Beach Volleyball European Championship, since this is his fourth gold medal after he had already stood atop of the standings in 2002 and 2004 together with former partner Markus Dieckmann.
As for Brink, Scheveningen is a place the 29-year old native of Münster seems to have quite a special connection with, since his first European crown dates back to 2006 as the Championship was held here in the outskirts of The Hague.
Although they were playing their first tournament of the year after a long break determined by a shoulder injury that Reckermann suffered while training in California, still the Germans re-asserted their supremacy by showcasing their repertoire, as Brink displayed a great variety of shots and his partner Reckermann did a good job in blocking. Actually Boersma and Spijkers fought bravely and even though almost everyone had expected triple European champions Nummerdor and Schuil to challenge Brink and Reckermann for the laurels here in The Hague, the still relatively young Dutch pair was even able to set the pace of the game in the second set. Boersma/Spijkers, supported by a large crowd, went up 8:5 but their rivals found their way back in the game, leveling at 11 before they flipped the charts around and never looked back. Brink served long to dissipate a first match ball that somehow re-opened the door for the orange guys but he and partner Reckermann stayed cool to finish it off with a block.
“This is the perfect end of an already memorable week and I can only praise Jonas for the great performance he has delivered after such a long break” stated Brink. “We were tired and gradually ran out of fuel and for this reason Julius got the responsibility for the block by the last phases of the match. I am very proud of this victory because it is not self-evident, especially as this was our first tournament of the year. Our motivation and fighting spirit made the difference this time more than the technical skills” added Reckermann, evidently pleased with his comeback to the international scene which couldn’t have been more successful.
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