2019-08-27 17:35:00 CET
After experiencing massive success together, Mol and Sørum will be opponents in a one-star event in Oslo
Anders Mol and Christian Sørum are undefeated in their last 27 international matches, but this weekend at least one of them will feel the taste of a defeat for the first time since the start of July as the BeachVolley Vikings will be in opposite sides at the one-star World Tour event in Oslo.
After winning both the Gstaad and the Vienna Majors and the European Championships for the second-straight season and topping the podium at the Olympic test event in Tokyo as well, the Norwegians decided to be rivals for one week to the delight of their home fans.
With that, Anders will partner with 18-year-old Nils Ringøen in the country’s capital while Christian will team up with Anders’ younger brother, 17-year-old Markus. Both of them will be making their first appearances at the World Tour in the event that marks the return of Norway to the international scene for the first time since the 2015 Stavanger Major.
"We have to test all the Mols so we can replace them," joked Christian, who has also played with Anders' older brother, Hendrik, in an interview to the Norwegian media.
The Vikings did something similar last season, when they played with different partners at the one-star event in Baden, Austria, and Anders had the best finish among them, winning a bronze medal with Bjarne Huus while Christian was fifth with Andreas Takvam. That, however, was before the start of their unprecedented rise in the international scene.
The tournament at the Norwegian capital could potentially see an intriguing matchup between the two players who have dominated the sport for the last two seasons. The Vikings have been opponents in the World Tour just twice in their careers, with Christian and Morten Kvamsdal coming out on top in a qualifier match in Kish Island, Iran, in 2016, and Anders and his cousin Mathians Berntsen defeating his current partner and Svein Solhaug at the bronze medal match in Espinho at the following season to win their first World Tour medals.
Who will do better in Oslo?