Todd Rogers praises the Austrians for their consistency
Olympic and world champion Todd Rogers said it best when commenting about Austrians Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst as one of the most influential and impactful beach volleyball teams of the last decade.
“A sneaky good pair that surprises other teams,” said Rogers, who played 19 seasons on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and is nicknamed “The Professor”. “They don’t overwhelm you with physicality but are super consistent. Best compliment I can give them is they have the “IT” factor. The ability to find a way to win or put themselves in a position to win. Whether that is through serving, block defence or high-level side out on the physical aspect, but even more so just through a desire to win they both possess to an exceptionally high degree.”
After competing in the Beijing 2008 Olympics where Doppler (Peter Gartmayer) and Horst (Florian Gosch) placed ninth with different partners, the Austrians finally partnered together in April 2012 to start a late bid for the London Summer Games.
Clemens Doppler (left) and Alexander Horst (second from the left) shared the same podium with Todd Rogers (second from the right) at the Stare Jablonki Grand Slam following the London 2012 Olympic Games along with Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins of Latvia and Phil Dalhausser
After placing third in European confederation playoffs for the 2012 Olympics, Doppler and Horst secured their spot for the London Summer Games by winning seven matches at the FIVB Continental Cup in Moscow with wins over pairs from Uruguay, Angola, Poland, Cuba, China and Mexico.
“We have known each other since we are 15,” said Horst, who started playing on the World Tour in 2003 with 145 FIVB events to his credit to rank 24th all-time. “It was just key to get the best resources together to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics. Most of the time we were opponents indoor as well as on the beach. Now we are starting our 10th season together, so more or less, we know each other pretty well.”
Alexander Horst (standing) watches Austrian partner Clemens Doppler with a Mikasa reception at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Doppler, who began his FIVB beach volleyball career in 1996 with 193 events played, added that “we have been playing together for 10 years, so we could easily play with our eyes closed and still know where the other one is on the court. So, we are good in the non-verbal point of view!”
Since forming their partnership, Doppler and Horst have completed in 94 recorded events with four gold medals, 11 appearances in finals, 13 podium placements, 16 final fours and 30 quarterfinal participations. The Austrians have combined for a 230-178 win-loss record (56.4 winning percentage).
When asked why the partnership has been so successful, Doppler said “I think a big part of our success was always our experience. And how we handled difficult situations as a team. Also, our determination and the will to win every single point is one of our strengths. And we have known each other already for more than 20 years – that was always a plus!”
Horst said that “our coach (Robert Nowotny, who placed 19th at the Athens 2004 Olympics with Gartmayer) made a team out of two good players. We focused on service and side-out, and often this worked out.”
When asked about memorable matches, the Austrians listed their three-set Olympic pool play win over Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt Brazil on Copacabana in August 2016 as No. 1.
“We were able to win,” said Doppler, “against the eventual Rio Olympic champions on their home court in front of 10.000 Brazilian fans. We were feeling a bit bad after because we could feel the pressure of a whole nation on their shoulders and we are quite good friends.”
The next two memorable matches were the quarter- and semifinal contests at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna where Doppler and Horst placed second after losing the 57-minute gold medal finale to Brazilians Evandro Goncalves and Andre Loyola 2-0 (23-21, 22-20).
“We lost the first set 33-31 to Kantor (Piotr) and Losiak (Bartosz) of Poland,” said Doppler about the 80-minute quarterfinal match. “We had lost to them earlier in the year in Rio, but we came back really strong in the next two sets (21-18 and 15-11) in front of a completely packed home stadium.”
The Vienna semifinal match for the Austrians was against Russians Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Nikita Liamin, who tied Evandro and Andre for the FIVB World Tour points leadership in 2017. Doppler and Horst prevailed 2-0 (22-20, 21-19) in 48 minutes to advance to the final.
“For me, the Russians were the team of the year in 2017, “said Doppler. “They beat Nick (Lucena) and Phil (Dalhausser) in their previous match in two sets. It was pouring down heavy rain. We really played a very solid game and made our dream come true – playing the final at home in Vienna!”
Doppler, who said Dalhausser was “the best to ever play, simple as that,” also said the teams of Dmitri Barsouk/Igor Kolodinsky of Russia and Emanuel Rego/Ricardo Santos of Brazil were the toughest opponents to play.
“We trained with the Russians in Rome with Marco Solustri for three years,” said Doppler. “We knew each other quite well. If they played their A-game, it was really hard to beat Dmitri and Igor.”
As for Emanuel and Ricardo, Doppler said “this team dominated our sport for quite some time. In their golden times, it was almost impossible to win against them.”
Horst added that “all the young players became good quite fast, but in the end, I will remember Ricardo as the most difficult opponent to play. His feeling on the block was awesome. I loved the challenges with him, there was always an extra game between us in the match.”
Still in contention for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, Doppler said the layoff from competition due to the pandemic “is hard for everybody. The good thing is, that now in the second lockdown in Austria, we are able to practise. We couldn’t do that, in the first. It’s quite hard not to know, when and how the next season starts.”
Horst added “we are also working as teachers in home-schooling. This is quite a hard job, I am happy that the children are in primary school, because I couldn’t do that for high school anymore. So, we are busy beside all the practices.
When asked if the layoff has helped the team emotionally, Doppler said “not at all. But I don’t think about if it’s good or bad. It is how it is, and I try to make the best out of it.”
Horst said “it´s frustrating. So, the thanks and applause have to be given to our sponsors, who have stayed with us in these dramatic times.”
