COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (May 8, 2024) – The United States started May with five medals in two separate events last weekend. This week he has one beach event, his two American teams are participating, and we check out the American men's Olympic race, where he has four point-earning tournaments left before Paris.
Elite 16 Brasilia
World No. 2 Taryn Kross and Kristen Nass won silver at the third Elite 16 event of the year.
The top-ranked U.S. women's team advanced directly to the quarterfinals by winning their pool matches, and won their two games against Xua/Xia (Switzerland) 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) in the final tournament. , has been improving since 2023. In the quarterfinals and semifinals she vs. Esme/Zoe (SUI) 2-1 (10-21, 21-19, 15-12).
Although they lost to world number one Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the final, Cross/Nas won their first medal since the 2023 BPT final.
Despite battling illness, Kelly Chen and partner Sarah Hughes (world No. 3) finished in the top five, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual tournament winner Ana Patricia/Duda.
On the men's side, Myles Parthein/Andy Benesch and Myles Evans/Chase Badinger each advanced to the quarterfinals and finished the tournament in a tie for fifth place.
NORCECA Varadero Results
All four teams that competed at NORCECA Varadero in Cuba won medals.
Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle defeated U.S. teammates Haley Harward/Kylie DeBerg 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) in the semifinals. This advanced them to the final against Navas/Gonzalez (CUB), where Simo/Van Winkle won 2-1 (21-14, 17-21, 15-12) and won the gold medal.
Harward/DeBerg defeated Dorick/Amanda (CUB) 2-1 (21-17, 17-21, 15-13) in the third-place match to win the bronze medal.
On the men's side, Avery Drost and Cody Caldwell advanced to the finals by defeating U.S. teammates Evan Coley and Wyatt Harrison 2-1 (28-26, 20-22, 15-11) in the semifinals. . There they defeated Arrayo/Diaz (CUB) 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) to take the top spot on the podium.
Harrison/Cawley bounced back after losing in the semifinals and won the bronze medal by defeating Torres/Rubera (PUR) 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) in the third-place match.
NORCECA Juan Dorio
It was a quick turnaround for Howard/DeBerg and Corey/Harrison, with each pair looking to build on their third-place finishes at Varadero at the next NORCECA event in Juan Dorio, Dominican Republic. The contest will be held from May 7th to May 11th.
Olympic ranking
Elite 16 Brasilia finish makes the race for the final U.S. men's Olympic spot the closest it's ever been.
Miles Evans/Chase Budinger is currently tied for 15th place with 7,760 points from 20 tournaments. This left him with just 100 points between him and Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner. The latter pair currently occupy 14th place in the provisional rankings, having earned 7,860 points from the 19 tournaments they have participated in.
All eyes will be on the NORCECA Continental Finals to be held at Juan Dolio from May 11th to 15th. There, Evans/Budinger will hope to score enough points to overtake Crabb/Brunner in the provisional rankings.
Parthein/Benesh played a role in widening the gap in maintaining the top spot among U.S. men. The pair moved up to sixth place in the provisional Olympic rankings with their latest finish. Paltein/Benesh has earned 8,980 points in 12 tournaments.
For the women, the numbers change, but the rankings for the top two U.S. pairs remain effectively the same.
Taryn Cross and Kristen Nass are second in the provisional Olympic rankings behind Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA). Nuss/Kloth has played in 16 tournaments and has earned 11,360 points.
Kelly Chen and Sarah Hughes are third in the provisional Olympic rankings with 10,800 points from the 15 events they competed in. Hughes/Chen have a W designation for the spot they will earn by winning the 2023 Beach World Championships.
Current World Ranking – Men
Current World Ranking – Women
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women
