Paris Olympics: What to know and who to watch during the beach volleyball competition

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FILE - Kelly Claes, of the United States, competes during a women’s beach volleyball match against Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

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FILE - Former Houston Rockets’ Chase Budinger, left, drives around Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Tolliver during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

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FILE - The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower Friday, June 7, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

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FILE - Minnesota Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger (10) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies guard Courtney Lee during the second half of an NBA basketball game Oct. 29, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. Former NBA player Budinger is going to the Olympics — for beach volleyball. The 6-foot-7 Californian, who helped Arizona reach the Sweet 16 in 2009 before playing seven seasons with the Rockets, Timberwolves, Pacers and Suns, earned a berth with Miles Evans as the No. 2 U.S. men’s pair at the FIVB tournament Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Ostrava, Czechia. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)

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FILE - Norway’s Christian Sorum, left, and his teammate Anders Mol celebrate with the trophy after winning the beach volley final match against Brazil’s Renato-Vitor Felipe at the beach volley World Championships in Rome, Sunday, June 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

A roadmap to follow for the beach volleyball competition at the Paris Games:

Athletes to Watch

—Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, Norway: Mol had surgery in March to repair a broken bone in his left foot.

— Chase Budinger, United States: The 6-foot-7 former NBA player earned a berth with Miles Evans as the No. 2 U.S. men’s pair.

—Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, United States: The reigning world champions are hoping to keep alive a streak of U.S. medals on the women’s side. Cheng could be the only American with Olympic experience.

—Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, United States: Going to their first Olympics. Kloth is 6-foot-4 and Nuss is 5-foot-6.

—Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands has qualified after serving time in prison for a rape conviction.

Storylines to Follow

—One of the Olympics’ most telegenic sports will bring its beach party vibe to the Champ de Mars, between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire, in a park that once served as the training grounds for Napoleon Bonaparte.

—There is a passing of the torch among the super-successful American women, who have won four of the past five gold medals. Misty May-Treanor is retired, Kerri Walsh Jennings is 45, and Tokyo champions April Ross and Alix Klineman each took time off to start families.

Key Dates

The preliminary rounds start July 27. The women’s gold medal will be awarded on Aug. 9, followed the next night by the men’s.

Reigning Champions

—Men: Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, Norway.

—Women: Alix Klineman and April Ross, United States.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)