Paris Olympics: What to know and who to watch during the beach volleyball competition

A roadmap to follow for the beach volleyball competition at the Paris Games:

Athletes to Watch

—Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, Norway: Mol had surgery in March to repair a broken bone in his left foot.

— Chase Budinger, United States: The 6-foot-7 former NBA player earned a berth with Miles Evans as the No. 2 U.S. men’s pair.

—Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, United States: The reigning world champions are hoping to keep alive a streak of U.S. medals on the women’s side. Cheng could be the only American with Olympic experience.

—Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, United States: Going to their first Olympics. Kloth is 6-foot-4 and Nuss is 5-foot-6.

—Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands has qualified after serving time in prison for a rape conviction.

Storylines to Follow

—One of the Olympics’ most telegenic sports will bring its beach party vibe to the Champ de Mars, between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire, in a park that once served as the training grounds for Napoleon Bonaparte.

—There is a passing of the torch among the super-successful American women, who have won four of the past five gold medals. Misty May-Treanor is retired, Kerri Walsh Jennings is 45, and Tokyo champions April Ross and Alix Klineman each took time off to start families.

Key Dates

The preliminary rounds start July 27. The women’s gold medal will be awarded on Aug. 9, followed the next night by the men’s.

Reigning Champions

—Men: Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, Norway.

—Women: Alix Klineman and April Ross, United States.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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