Aussies take in the views, then win, at spectacular beach volleyball stadium
PARIS: Locked in an Olympic battle beneath France's most iconic landmark, Taliqua Clancy stopped to look up.
The raucous Eiffel Tower Stadium at Champs de Mars has become a hot ticket in town at Paris 2024 and it's not only the fans taking a moment to marvel.
The Australian beach volleyball star hasn't even been to the top of the Eiffel Tower but it looms impossibly large over the action.
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Mariafe Artacho del Solar of Australia and Taliqua Clancy are through to the knockout stage with a dominant win over Canada. Getty
"You catch those moments sometimes," Clancy told Wide World of Sports after she and teammate Mariafe Artacho del Solar locked in a knockout berth with a dominant win over Canada's Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovek.
"You get pretty into the match but it's pretty cool when you catch those moments and seeing the crowd enjoying themselves, which is a great part of our sport.
"It's not just for the athletes and about the game. It's also just the enjoyment that the spectators get as well."
The beach volleyball stadium at Paris 2024 is a sight to behold. Getty
Clancy and Artacho del Solar are hoping to go one better than their Tokyo 2020 silver medal and emerged from the toughest group in the tournament with wins over Canada and China either side of a loss to the No.2 ranked USA.
The Aussies shot out to an early lead and couldn't be reigned in by the Canadians, sealing the first set 21-10 on a serving error by Bansley.
A brilliant rally (watch below) at 11-9 in the second set featured several desperate lunges as the Aussies scrambled to take the point en route to a 2-0 (21-10, 21-16) win.
Artacho del Solar was pleased she and Clancy were able to bounce back after the humbling loss to the USA.
"I think [we] just really [tried to] on our side of the court and do what we hear like what we know we can do.
"You know, what we've got in our pocket is good enough to be able to compete against the top teams in the world.
"It's just a matter of doing it for a long time."
Artacho del Solar said that 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) loss to the USA would hold the pair in good stead as they aim to recreate Australia's famous gold medal on Bondi Beach at Sydney 2000.
"I think it's important to have those pressure moments and those tough games we've got before going into the single elimination rounds, which is where the real tournament starts."
Taliqua Clancy attacks the net against Sophie Bukovec of Canada. Getty
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The Australians' win was played in front of another pumping crowd, with DJ blasting tunes between points to fuel the party atmosphere - - Highway to Hell by AC/DC soundtracked the break after the first set.
At one point a mime with a banana performed as the MC hushed the crowd, at another a Mexican wave rolled past.
It's hard not to get sucked in - just ask Clancy.
"I was actually looking up there (at the Eiffel Tower) during warm-up and I was like, I just didn't realise people still actually go up there (during the Olympics)," she said.
"So I was like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool.'
"I was wondering what they're thinking right now."
This stadium will be dismantled after the Games but organisers have nailed it.
