Beating Team USA, Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner Fails To Overcome Tokyo Heartbreak at Paris Olympics

It only takes a split second to turn the game around, and on August 8th, that pivotal moment arrived. In a high-stakes showdown, Switzerland’s Tanja Huberli and Nina Brunner faced off against America’s Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng. The Swiss duo emerged victorious with scores of 21-18, 21-19, showcasing their skill and determination. Both teams had been relentless in their pursuit of victory leading up to the quarter-finals, but it was Brunner’s exceptional defense that made the difference in the semi-final on August 7th. Yet, the true test of their mettle awaited them in the finals.

On July 8th, in a gripping final match, Huberli and Brunner went head-to-head with Canada’s Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson. The Swiss team started strong, dominating the first set with a 21-14 win. However, the Canadians fought back fiercely, taking the second set 22-20. In a nail-biting conclusion, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson narrowly edged out the Swiss with a 15-12 victory in the final set, securing the gold.

Melissa Humana Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson two athletes have achieved a feat by reaching the final round of the women’s beach volleyball competition, at the Olympics. Humana Paredes, who began her beach volleyball journey at 12 years old and Wilkerson recognized as the blocker in 2018 by FIVB are now the pioneering duo to secure a spot, on the Olympic podium in womens beach volleyball. Hailing from Toronto, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are now set to face the winner of the late semifinal between Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, and top-ranked Brazil’s Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa on Friday.

However, Canada’s previous best result was a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The last time Canada reached the men’s podium was in 1996 when Mark Heese and John Child secured bronze in Atlanta. But what is more disappointing is Tanja Huberli and Nina Betschart faced the same disappointment as in Tokyo.

Tanja Huberli and Nina Betschart’s “too-calm” approach made them lose

In 2021, Tanja Huberli and Nina Betschart navigated their first Olympics with a refreshing sense of calm and focus. Despite a victorious start initially, the duo maintained a level-headed approach, shunning lofty expectations and concentrating on one game at a time. Their initial triumph against the defending Olympic champion Laura Ludwig and her partner Margareta Kozuch was a mindblowing achievement, yet they downplayed its importance.

“We are focused on ourselves, on our game, and we just want to put everything we have into every match and try to play our best, which was obviously not the case in our first game,” the athlete said. “We cannot wait until Wednesday when we play again and we will for sure try to do better. We take game after game. We don’t have expectations about a certain ranking or how far we want to go.”

Their journey to the Tokyo Olympics included a notable finish at the Sochi 4-star event and strong performances throughout the World Tour. Despite their high hopes and potential, Huberli and Betschart’s Olympic finals fell short of their expectations, leaving them with a ninth-place finish. Unfortunately, their latest attempt in the Paris Olympics saw them hitting the same old hurdles, as they struggled to turn the tide and make a splash on the podium once again.