Two athletes recently reached the top of a Beach Pro Tour podium for the very first time in their careers at the Montpellier Futures event. Both received crucial backing from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Joadel Gardoque of France, alongside his partner Elouan Chouikh-Barbez, brought joy to the home crowd by securing the men`s gold medal. The silver went to Austria`s Robin Seidl & Alexander Huber, while Spain`s Alvaro Viera & Antonio Saucedo claimed the bronze. In the women`s competition, 19-year-old Spanish talent Sofia Izuzquiza and her teammate Sofia Gonzalez finished first. The French duo Elsa Descamps & Anouk Dupin took the silver. Notably, all medal-winning teams from France, Spain, and Austria at this tournament benefit from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment funding. The women`s bronze medal was won by American qualifiers Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program plays a key role in supporting national federations. France`s beach volleyball department has received significant funding for coach support, with their national teams coached by Isabelle Kadjo, along with equipment support. Similarly, the Spanish Federation has been granted substantial coach support for their beach volleyball teams, who work with instructor Marco Stanzani. Austria`s beach volleyball also benefits from coach support funding, including programs for coach development, with Georgios Kotsilianos overseeing their men’s teams.
For the men`s event, Joadel Gardoque (22) not only won his first gold but also his inaugural medal of any color on the Beach Pro Tour. He and Elouan Chouikh-Barbez (23), who previously had one gold medal finish, were dominant in Montpellier, completing the tournament undefeated in five matches. As the top seeds, they secured a 2-0 victory (21-14, 21-19) over Spanish fifth seeds Viera & Saucedo in the semifinal. The gold medal match against experienced Olympians Seidl & Huber proved more challenging, with the French pair battling back from a set down to win 2-1 (16-21, 22-20, 15-12).
In the other men`s semifinal, the third-seeded Austrians, Seidl & Huber, defeated their compatriots Felix Friedl & Florian Schnetzer 2-0 (21-11, 21-18). This win guaranteed Seidl & Huber their fourth Beach Pro Tour medal since pairing up at the start of the season, adding to their collection of two silvers and two bronzes. Viera & Saucedo secured the bronze medal by beating Friedl & Schnetzer 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) in the third-place playoff, earning their second consecutive bronze after also finishing third at the Malmo Futures.
For the women, Sofia Izuzquiza, a silver medalist from last year’s FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championship, celebrated her first Beach Pro Tour medal in Montpellier. The Spanish teenager and her partner Sofia Gonzalez, who had previously won a gold medal three years ago, achieved their second Tour podium together, following a bronze in Krakow last month. As the third seeds in Montpellier, they won four matches in straight sets en route to the final. They faced the top-seeded home favorites Elsa Descamps & Anouk Dupin in the final, dropping their first set of the tournament before winning 2-1 (21-17, 14-21, 15-9).
In the women`s semifinals, Izuzquiza & Gonzalez defeated American qualifiers Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig 2-0 (21-15, 23-21). Descamps & Dupin reached the final by overcoming fourth-seeded Czechs Martina Maixnerova & Kylie Neuschaeferova 2-0 (21-14, 21-15), securing their first Beach Pro Tour medal as a team. Anouk Dupin is having an incredible season, having medaled in all five of her Tour appearances this year with four different partners, collecting two golds, two silvers, and one bronze.
American qualifiers Alexis Durish (21) & Audrey Koenig (21) secured the women’s bronze medal with a 2-0 win (21-16, 21-14) over Maixnerova & Neuschaeferova. This is their second medal in just two Beach Pro Tour participations, having won gold in their debut in Geneva last week. They extended their winning streak from qualifications to 12 matches before their run was ended by Izuzquiza & Gonzalez in the semifinals.
The Montpellier Futures event successfully hosted 25 men`s and 26 women`s teams representing 21 different countries. The next Futures tournament is scheduled to take place in Leuven, Belgium, from July 18 to 21.
Finley Blackwood 
Jasper Thornfield