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Georg Grozer (left) and Tobias Krick pull off a surprise at the Olympic qualifying tournament

Photo: Joao Gabriel Alves / dpa

Germany's volleyball players have qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time since 2012. At the tournament for tickets to Paris 2024, the team led by star attacker Georg Grozer won 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-16) against Qatar, their sixth win in six games.

Finally, the duel with Ukraine is still on the agenda on Sunday evening, but with 18 points and five points ahead of Brazil, the selection of the German Volleyball Association (DVV) can no longer be taken away from the Olympic ticket. Only the top two teams in the group of eight will secure a place at the Games in Paris.

"It's crazy, it's an unbelievable feeling," Grozer said. "I can't quite comprehend it yet. It shows that you should never stop believing in your dreams." Germany had gone into the tournament as underdogs, but put themselves in an excellent position with two sensational victories against world champions Italy and hosts Brazil.

Grozer leads the team

The 38-year-old Grozer, who returned to the team after a two-year break for the chance to participate in the Olympics, was the outstanding player in both games. He scored 27 points against hosts Brazil, and less than 24 hours later Grozer was back in top form with 31 points against world champions Italy despite the short recovery time. "I can't believe what we did here today," he said after the win against the Brazilians, and he had to "process it myself".

The fact that he was "still very fit" despite his age and could "keep up with everyone" was assured by Grozer on his return to the national team after a two-year break. At the European Championships, he proved that almost a month ago as the top scorer of the German team despite the disappointing elimination in the round of 16, and he followed it up in Rio.

The German women have to hope for a qualification via the world rankings for the Olympics, they had finished their qualifying tournament in fifth place.

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