In his first full season playing with big blocker Gosch, the results were very positive including ninth-place positions at the Grand Slam in Stavanger, Norway, the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland and the European Beach Volleyball Championships in Spain.

With 2 other 9th-place finishes at open tournaments along with a bronze medal at Åland, Finland, the team of Gosch-Horst was well on its way to olympic qualification.

In the games, they overcame possible elimination in the lucky loser bracket to post a very solid 5th-place finish in eventually losing to the Brazilian silver medalists, Marcio and Fabio.

Speculation began immediately of an Alexander Horst / Clemens Doppler duo, who also split from his partner on the same day.

Between mixed results in the FIVB World Tour and the 2012 CEV European Championships, Horst and Doppler posted a hometown win in Baden, Austria.