MEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Miles Evans and Chase Budinger gazed at the Eiffel Tower from the sandscape of the volleyball stadium for the last time Monday. The U.S.A. pair had prolonged their stay at the prime real estate of the 2024 Paris Olympics by reaching the knockout round of 16, but the power of defending gold medalists Anders Mol and Christian Sorum proved too much to handle. The Norwegians won their fourth consecutive match in straight sets, 21-16, 21-14.
The record will show that Evans and Budinger finished in ninth place, a ranking vastly higher than their prospects when they launched their two-year journey to qualify for the Olympics. Evans, 34, had been a journeyman on the pro beach tour for almost a decade, while Budinger, 36, was a recent arrival to the beach after playing in the NBA for seven seasons.
To wind up in the Olympics with a respectable defeat against the world’s best team left both of them feeling gratified.