Updated at 2:44 p.m., Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Isle beach volleyball players take aim at '08 Olympics
Advertiser Staff
The quest for the 2008 Olympics begins this week in Paris at the Henkel Grand Slam, the first of four Grand Slam events on the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour.Punahou graduates Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger, who just won their second domestic title this year on the AVP Tour, were one of three U.S. men's teams directly seeded into the main draw. Sean Scott, another Punahou graduate, and partner Matt Fuerbringer scored two upsets in the qualifier today to become the fourth American team in the main draw.
The men's purse is $300,000, with the first-place team getting $43,500. The tournament is played within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.
Scott and Fuerbringer beat Scott's former partner, Kevin Wong, and Jason Ring, 14-21, 21-16, 15-11 in yesterday's men's country qualifying. Wong is also a Punahou graduate and Ring played for University of Hawai'i.
Lambert played in two Olympics on the indoor team. Metzger and Wong each played in an Olympics on the beach.
The Henkel Slam is part of the qualifying process for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where 24 teams per gender will compete for gold medals. It will also help finalize entries for the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships, July 24 to 29 in the Swiss Alps village of Gstaad. The $1 million World Championships is the second most prestigious beach volleyball event behind the Olympics. It features 48-team main draws for both men and women.
