European beach volleyball teams delivered outstanding results at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Hamburg. Benefitting from home-court advantage, European duos secured gold medals in both the men`s and women`s categories at the tournament, which concluded on Sunday.
Norwegian stars Anders Mol and Christian Sørum led an all-European men`s podium, while Italians Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth triumphed in the women`s event. In total, European athletes claimed four of the six medals contested this week at the iconic Am Rothenbaum Stadium.
Men`s Competition Highlights
In the men`s competition, Mol and Sørum reaffirmed their exceptional form, securing their third title in August. The “Beach Volley Vikings” began the month with a record fifth victory at the CEV EuroBeachVolley and also triumphed at a Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Montreal two weeks prior.
Determined to defend their title from last year in Hamburg, the Norwegians showed great consistency throughout the tournament. They concluded their campaign with a two-set victory (25-23, 21-14) over Polish Olympians Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak in the gold medal match.
The bronze medal match, also featuring two European duos, saw Dutch Olympians Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot defeat the 2024 European champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia in straight sets (21-16, 21-10), securing third place in Hamburg for the second consecutive year.
Women`s Competition Highlights
In the women`s event, Gottardi and Orsi Toth stylishly celebrated their first Beach Pro Tour title as partners. They overcame Brazilians Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes, the number one team in the FIVB World Ranking, in a tie-breaker (17-21, 21-18, 15-6) to claim gold in Hamburg.
The Italian duo partnered after the start of the 2025 season and earned their second medal together, following a silver at a Challenge event in Alanya in June. The Hamburg victory also marked the first gold for an Italian women`s team in an Elite Beach Pro Tour event.
Europe could have had a fifth team on the podium in Hamburg, as the German duo of Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann competed in the bronze medal match. Despite the enthusiastic support of thousands of home fans, they were defeated by reigning Olympic champions Eduarda `Duda` Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos of Brazil in two sets (21-16, 21-18), finishing fourth.
European teams will now prepare for a two-week stretch of the Beach Pro Tour in Brazil, as the country is slated to host consecutive Elite events in João Pessoa (September 17-21) and Rio de Janeiro (September 25-28).
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood