Christian Sandlie
Sørum
Norway
·
Beach Volleyball
Data e lindjes | 3 Dhjetor 1995 |
|---|---|
Vendi i lindjes | Fjerdingby, Norway |
Age | 30 |
Kombësia | Norway |
Disiplinat | Beach Volleyball |
On August 18, 2018, Christian Sørum and his playing partner Anders Mol eclipsed a host of legends of the sport of beach volleyball when they landed their fourth FIVB World Tour gold medal in a row by winning the FIVB World Tour Finals in Hamburg, Germany.
That victory meant that the pair broke the record for the highest-ever pay cheque in beach volleyball by taking home US$150,000 in total and surpassed the previous best earnings in the sport, having won over US$250,000 between them in little over one month.
Previously, Olympic champions Kent Steffes and Karch Kiraly and had created the sport’s domestic record by earning US$245,000 in winning four-straight titles at the end of the 1993 season and the start of the 1994 US season.
And internationally, fellow Olympic champs Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Alison Cerutti owned the record, having earned $231,000 in winning four-straight events in 2015.
That run of success meant that Sørum and Mol ended the 2018 season and started 2019 as the number one ranked men’s beach volleyball team in the world and that’s as well as landing the European title in the Netherlands.
The partnership between Sørum and Mol has it roots in a project called Beachvolley Vikings that began in 2016. Prior to that Sørum had partnered Runar Sannarnes, with whom Sørum had first won the European Under-22 title.
He went on to win that title again with Mol in 2016 and their rise was fairly rapid, making the quarter finals of the FIVB Klagenfurt Major and performing strongly at the FIVB Gstaad Major in 2017.
In 2018 the breakthrough to world level was complete when they won in Gstaad and they were unbeaten in landing the European title, following that up with titles in Vienna, Hamburg and Las Vegas.
They hit the top of the world rankings in August 2018 and dominated throughout 2019 as they claimed victories in Tokyo, Vienna, Ostrava, Itapema and Jinjang. This impressive run saw Sørum crowned the FIVB Best Defender for the second year in a row.
The duo showed no signs of letting up in 2020 as they once again defended their European Championship title, winning gold in Jurmala, Latvia and becoming the youngest team to win the crown on three successive occasions.
2021 brought yet more success for the duo, first in the form of a gold medal in Tokyo and then securing the European Championship crown for the fourth consecutive year. This victory secured their legendary status as they became the first duo ever to win four successive continental tournaments.
They went one better the following year as they won the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome, Italy, after defeating Brazilians Vitor Felipe and Renato Lima in straight sets (21-15, 21-16) to claim their first world title.
At the 2024 Paris Games, Sørum and Mol pulled off a bronze medal. It might not have been the medal they hoped for, but it's an incredible accomplishment nonetheless.
“We’ve been working hard for so many years, it’s been a dream,” said Sorum. “Everything that’s happened, it’s been really special, but winning the World Championship is even more so because this tournament is the reason I started to play and fell in love with the sport. It feels like we’re living a dream.”