Beach volleyball teams receiving support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program achieved significant success at the recent Warmia Mazury Challenge on the Beach Pro Tour, collectively earning five medals. Teams from Ukraine, Switzerland, France, and Germany featured prominently on the podiums.
The women`s competition saw a clean sweep by pairs benefiting from the program: Ukraine`s Maryna Hladun & Tetiana Lazarenko took gold, Germany`s Linda Bock & Louisa Lippmann secured silver, and France`s Clemence Vieira & Aline Chamereau claimed bronze. In the men`s tournament, Switzerland`s Marco Krattiger & Leo Dillier won the gold medal, with Germany`s Paul Henning & Lui Wust earning bronze. The men`s silver medal went to the home team from Poland, Bartosz Losiak & Michal Bryl.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program provides vital support to national federations. Since 2022, the Ukraine Volleyball Federation has received $670,000 to continue its volleyball and beach volleyball activities. Swiss Volley`s beach volleyball department has been allocated $366,000 specifically for coach support, enabling their men`s duos to train under coach Philip Gabathuler. The German Volleyball Federation has received $168,000 for coaching support, with national pairs supervised by former European champion Christoph Dieckmann. France`s beach volleyball department has received the largest funding for coach support, totaling $1,077,000 to date, with Youssef Krou guiding the women`s national duos. The French Federation also received an additional $5,500 for beach volleyball equipment.
Ukraine`s Maryna Hladun & Tetiana Lazarenko, seeded 13th in the women`s main draw, had an undefeated run through the tournament, winning all six of their matches. They dropped only a single set in the process, during the 2-1 (19-21, 21-14, 15-11) gold medal match on Sunday against the 20th-seeded German pair Linda Bock & Louisa Lippmann. The German duo`s only two losses in their seven matches in Poland were both to the Ukrainian champions, in their initial pool match and again in the final showdown. This victory marked Hladun & Lazarenko`s third gold and sixth overall medal on the Beach Pro Tour, while for Bock & Lippmann, it was their first podium finish as a team.
In the semifinals, Hladun & Lazarenko defeated 12th-seeded Julia Donlin & Lexy Denaburg of the United States with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) victory. Bock & Lippmann caused an upset by beating the second-seeded French team Clemence Vieira & Aline Chamereau 2-0 (21-12, 21-19). Vieira & Chamereau bounced back to win the third-place match against Donlin & Denaburg 2-0 (21-18, 21-18), securing their second consecutive bronze medal on the Tour (after the Alanya Challenge) and fifth medal overall.
In the men`s event in Stare Jablonki, Switzerland`s Marco Krattiger & Leo Dillier, seeded 20th, claimed their first Beach Pro Tour gold medal. This is their fourth medal as a team on the Tour, adding to silvers from the Xiamen Challenge and Spiez Futures, and a bronze from the Valencia Futures earlier this season. Krattiger & Dillier remained undefeated in the tournament. They advanced to the final following the injury withdrawal of second seeds David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden in their semifinal. In the final, they secured a narrow 2-1 (25-23, 16-21, 16-14) upset victory over the top-seeded Polish pair Bartosz Losiak & Michal Bryl.
Losiak & Bryl reached the final by defeating Germany`s Paul Henning & Lui Wust 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) in their semifinal, marking their ninth Beach Pro Tour podium appearance, their first in nearly a year. The 11th-seeded German duo Henning & Wust were awarded the bronze medal via forfeit in the third-place match, earning their second medal as a team after a silver at last year`s Nuvali Challenge.
The Warmia Mazury Challenge featured a total of 50 women`s and 54 men`s teams representing 28 different countries.
The next Challenge event on the Beach Pro Tour is scheduled for Baden, Austria, from August 5 to 10. Upcoming events this week include the Gstaad Elite in Switzerland (July 2-6) and the Montpellier Futures in France (July 3-6).
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood