Jump-setting Swedes beat Germany to win the Olympic beach volleyball gold medal

PARIS (AP) — Jump-setting Swedes David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig aren't the types to take their time.

The beach volleyball pioneers were the No. 1 team in the world by 22, an age when many of their competitors hadn't even switched from the indoor game to the sand. And when Ahman and Hellvig reached the final at their first Olympics, they didn't need long to claim the gold medal.

Sweden dispatched Germany in 36 minutes to win the men's beach volleyball championship at the Paris Games on Saturday night, beating Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler 21-10, 21-13 in the final competition at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

One night after the Brazilian women beat Canada for gold in a tense three-setter, the men’s championship was completely lacking in suspense.

“Everything just worked for us. And I still don’t believe how we managed to play that well, actually,” Hellvig said. “And then the match was just over.”

It was the second-fastest match of the men's competition and the biggest blowout (not counting the one injury forfeit). And it came in the most important game of the Olympics.

“I would love to fight more, to have a closer match,” Wickler said. “We played many games against them — also very close. We never lost that hard against them. And on this stage, it’s very disappointing for sure.”

The quick and lopsided match gave the Swedes in the crowd of 13,000 under the twinkling lights of the iconic Parisian landmark a head start on the party.

With faces painted in yellow and blue, they waved flags and chanted in Swedish for the first Olympic beach volleyball medal in the nation's history. When it was over, the venue DJ cranked up the ABBA and the fans sang along.

Mamma Mia, indeed.

“We wanted to do our best game of the year, right now in front of this amazing crowd, in front of so many people. And everybody’s watching,” the 6-foot-11 (2.11 meter) Ehlers said. “And I think, maybe, that’s kind of the problem.”

The Swedes used an innovative style to reach the finals of seven consecutive major international tournaments, propelling them this spring to No. 1 in the world rankings. With a “Swedish jump-set,” the player jumps to spike and passes instead — but only sometimes — forcing opponents to defend against both at the same time.

The pair struggled in the preliminary round, losing two of their three group stage matches. They needed three sets to beat Cuba in the round of 16 but never lost another set — and only trailed once, briefly, in the next three matches.

On septuple match point Saturday night, Ahman sent a second-touch kill shot into the corner for the game winner.

“When we we got the last point in, I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Like, looking over at the scoreboard like, ‘Oh, we we just won. What happened?’”

The silver is Germany's first men's beach volleyball medal since winning gold at the 2012 London Games, though the women won it all in Rio de Janeiro four years later.

“The moment we got the medal around our neck, it feels amazing. And even the next moment we remember what we’ve done in the final and feel sad again. So it’s an up and down,” Ehlers said. “I think it needs more time to realize and to appreciate more what we’ve done the last two weeks.”

Wickler was only one in the match with previous Olympic experience, finishing fifth in Tokyo. The same year, Ahman and Hellvig won a world championship — the under-21 world championship.

“The last few years, our development and improvements as a team has been so fast,” Hellvig said. “We don’t really know how we did it, but it just feels amazing.”

Earlier Saturday, Norway won 21-13, 21-16 over Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who won the bronze medal in Tokyo. It was the second medal-winning Olympics in a row for Anders Mol and Christian Sorum and a proud medal haul for Scandinavian countries known more for snow than sand.

In the women’s bracket, Brazil won gold one Olympiad after the sport’s spiritual home was shut out for the first time since beach volleyball was added to the Summer Games in 1996. No such luck for the Americans, who won seven of the first 12 gold medals on the sand: They were shut out for the first time in history.

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This story has been corrected to show that Germany only won the men's gold medal in 2012. A previous version said that the country swept the men's and women's.

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

Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig, left, and Sweden's David Ahman, right, celebrate after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Norway's Anders Berntsen Mol serves to Qatar during the beach volleyball men•s bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Qatar's Ahmed Tijan, left, scores a point against Norway during the beach volleyball men's bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Qatar's Ahmed Tijan spikes the ball against Norway during the beach volleyball men's bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Norway's Anders Berntsen Mol, right, and Norway's Christian Sandlie Sorum celebrate after beating Qatar to win the beach volleyball men's bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Germany's Nils Ehlers, left, and Germany's Clemens Wickler in action during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Sweden's David Ahman celebrates winning a point during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig, left, and Sweden's David Ahman, right, celebrate after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Spectators watch from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower after the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Swedish fans celebrate after Sweden's David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig won the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Germany's Nils Ehlers, right, and Germany's Clemens Wickler react during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Germany's Nils Ehlers, left, and Germany's Clemens Wickler react after losing the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Sweden's David Ahman, facing, embraces Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Sweden's David Ahman, bottom, and Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig celebrate after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Sweden's David Ahman celebrates after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig, left, and Sweden's David Ahman, right, celebrate after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig spikes the ball past Germany's Nils Ehlers during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Sweden's David Ahman, facing, embraces Sweden's Jonatan Hellvig after winning the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Sweden's David Ahman dives to get the ball during the beach volleyball men's gold medal match between Sweden and Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research that explains why societies with poor rule of law and exploitative institutions do not generate sustainable growth.

The three economists “have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity,” the Nobel committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said at the announcement in Stockholm.

Acemoglu and Johnson work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Robinson conducts his research at the University of Chicago.

“Reducing the vast differences in income between countries is one of our time’s greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this,” Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said.

He said their research has provided "a much deeper understanding of the root causes of why countries fail or succeed.”

Reached by the academy in Athens, Greece, where he is due to speak at a conference, the Turkish-born Acemoglu, 57, said he was surprised and shocked by the award.

“You never expect something like this," he said.

Acemoglu said the research honored by the prize underscores the value of democratic institutions.

“I think broadly speaking the work that we have done favors democracy,” he said in a telephone call with the Nobel committee and reporters in Stockholm.

But he added that “democracy is not a panacea. Introducing democracy is very hard. When you introduce elections, that sometimes creates conflict.”

Asked about how economic growth in countries like China fits into the theories, Acemoglu said that "my perspective is generally that these authoritarian regimes, for a variety of reasons, are going to have a harder time ... in achieving ... long-term sustainable innovation outcomes.”

Acemoglu and Robinson wrote the 2012 bestseller “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty,’’ which argued that manmade problems were responsible for keeping countries poor.

In their work, the winners looked, for instance, at the city of Nogales, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border.

Despite sharing the same geography, climate, many of the same ancestors and a common culture, life is very different on either side of the border. In Nogales, Arizona, to the north, residents are relatively well-off and live long lives; most children graduate from high school. To the south, in Mexico’s Nogales, Sonora, “residents here are in general considerably poorer. ... Organized crime makes starting and running companies risky. Corrupt politicians are difficult to remove, even if the chances of this have improved since Mexico democratized, just over 20 years ago," the Nobel committee wrote.

The difference, the economists found, is a U.S. system that protects property rights and gives citizens a say in their government.

Acemoglu expressed worry Monday that democratic institutions in the United States and Europe were losing support from the population. “Democracies particularly underperform when the population thinks they underdeliver," he said. “This is a time when democracies are going through a rough patch. … It is, in some sense, quite crucial that they reclaim the high ground of better governance."

The economics prize is formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The central bank established it in 1968 as a memorial to Nobel, the 19th-century Swedish businessman and chemist who invented dynamite and established the five Nobel Prizes.

Though Nobel purists stress that the economics prize is technically not a Nobel Prize, it is always presented together with the others on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.

Nobel honors were announced last week in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace.

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.

Journalists listen when Jan Teorell of the Nobel assembly announces the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Academy of Sciences permanent secretary Hans Ellegren, center, Jakob Svensson, left, and Jan Teorell, of the Nobel assembly announce the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Academy of Sciences permanent secretary Hans Ellegren, center, Jakob Svensson, left, and Jan Teorell, of the Nobel assembly announce the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

FILE - Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology smiles in this image taken on June 22, 2019 in Kiel, Germany, as he and Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson won the Nobel prize in economics for research into reasons why some countries succeed and others fail. (Frank Molter, dpa via AP, File)

The Nobel memorial prize in economics awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Academy of Sciences permanent secretary Hans Ellegren, center, Jakob Svensson, left, and Jan Teorell, of the Nobel assembly announce the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

FILE - A close-up view of a Nobel Prize medal at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

The Nobel economics prize is being announced in Sweden

The Nobel economics prize is being announced in Sweden

FILE - A bust of Alfred Nobel on display following a press conference at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP, File)