Olympic champions Åhman and Hellvig on overcoming pressure to win gold
When the ‘big Olympics’ opportunity arrived in 2024, Team Åhman/Hellvig travelled to Paris as the top-ranked men’s team with their sights on gold. The pressure on the tournament debutants was exaggerated by expectations back home, and they squeezed through the preliminary round as lucky losers with one win.
The Swedes were not going to let a second chance pass by. Just as in Buenos Aires, they turned their fortunes around in the knockout stage, including a triumphant rematch semi-final against pool rivals Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar.
“I feel like we were a bit more anxious before the semi-final [than the final],” says Åhman, “because if you win the semis, you have a guaranteed medal, so that felt really good when we won. It can be difficult to handle the pressure sometimes, but you need to be able to put it aside and just do your thing, and hopefully it works out.”
The top seeds took on undefeated German pair Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in the gold medal match, under the sparkling night lights of the Eiffel Tower. A breathtaking rally sealed the gold medal in straight sets for Åhman and Hellvig, and in turn transformed them into household names back home.
“We have noticed that they’re building more beach volleyball courts and facilities around Sweden,” Hellvig says. Åhman adds, “When we were at the Olympics, we were just focused on the games, and you don’t really know if anyone is watching back home. So it was a big surprise when we got home.”
They are not just recognised in Sweden: Hellvig remembers them being approached whilst having lunch in Portugal, while Åhman encountered his newfound fame hiking in the Swiss Alps with his girlfriend. “A car just stopped by the road when we were walking: ‘Oh my god, it’s you guys!’ We actually got to ride the gondola up with them,” he explains.
Inevitably, the pair have LA 2028 in their minds, the opportunity to take to the Long Beach sand as defending Olympic champions in less than 1,000 days. A long path lies ahead – “first we’ve got to qualify,” acknowledges Åhman – but it is a striking prospect to relish.
“It’s a big goal for us, of course,” Hellvig says of LA28, “It’s a big challenge to live up to everyone’s expectations. We feel a lot of pressure both from ourselves and other people that are watching. Everyone is really trying to beat the reigning Olympic champs, so every team we face is going to be extra motivated and extra focused.”