Hungarian duo Artur Hajos & Bence Attila Streli and German pair Sandra Ferger & Rika Dieckmann secured silver medals at the recent Bujumbura Futures, benefiting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. The event in Burundi saw Brazil`s Gabriel Zuliani & Nicolas Capretti Schosler and Slovenia`s Tajda Lovsin & Ziva Javornik achieve their inaugural gold medals on the Beach Pro Tour. Meanwhile, American teams James Avery Drost & Robert Wyatt Harrison and Jade Race & Katie Lindstrom each claimed bronze.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
The Hungarian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball program received substantial backing from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, including USD 126,000 for coaching their men`s teams, led by Polish coach Robert Zuchowski, plus an additional USD 6,000 for a national team coach development initiative. The seventh-seeded Hungarian duo, Artur Hajos & Bence Attila Streli, surprised second-seeded Americans James Avery Drost & Robert Wyatt Harrison with a 2-0 (26-24, 21-14) victory in the Bujumbura semifinals. This win guaranteed them their second Beach Pro Tour podium finish, following their silver at the 2023 Cervia Futures. Despite a valiant effort, Hajos & Streli ultimately secured another silver after falling to Brazil`s Gabriel Zuliani & Nicolas Capretti Schosler in the final match.
Marking their Beach Pro Tour debut as a team, 23-year-old Brazilians Zuliani & Schosler achieved an remarkable undefeated run of seven matches. Starting from the qualifications, they ascended to the top of the podium, earning the first Tour gold medal for either player. Despite being seeded 16th in the main draw, Zuliani & Nicolas pulled off several upsets en route to the Bujumbura trophy. They dominated the semifinals with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) win against third-seeded Takumi Takahashi & Jumpei Ikeda of Japan, then clinched the final with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) victory over the Hungarian pair.
Drost & Harrison secured the bronze medal in their first Beach Pro Tour appearance as a team, defeating Takahashi & Ikeda with a decisive 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) sweep in the third-place playoff.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
The German Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball sector received a substantial USD 168,000 in coach support through FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. Their national teams train under the guidance of Christoph Dieckmann, a former European champion and two-time Olympian. German duo Sandra Ferger & Rika Dieckmann, seeded ninth in the Bujumbura women’s main draw, reached the final undefeated, securing their first-ever Beach Pro Tour podium with four consecutive straight-set wins. In the semifinals, 34-year-old Ferger (making her Tour debut) and 16-year-old Rika Dieckmann (coach Dieckmann`s niece, in her second Tour appearance) achieved a dominant 2-0 (21-11, 21-15) victory over USA’s Jade Race & Katie Lindstrom. They ultimately took home silver after a tough loss to Tajda Lovsin & Ziva Javornik in the final.
Lovsin & Javornik also claimed their inaugural Beach Pro Tour gold medal. The third-seeded Slovenian pair advanced to the Bujumbura women’s final flawlessly, winning all three matches without dropping a single set. Their impressive streak culminated in a resounding 2-0 (21-11, 21-6) semifinal victory against second-seeded Mahassine Siad & Dina Mellal of Morocco. In the ultimate gold medal match, Lovsin & Javornik faced a challenge, dropping one set, but ultimately secured a 2-1 (21-10, 17-21, 15-12) win against the German duo. This achievement marked the Slovenian team`s second Beach Pro Tour podium finish, adding to their bronze from the Cervia Futures earlier in the year.
Fourth-seeded Americans Race & Lindstrom, competing as a team for the first time on the Tour, recovered to win the bronze medal in a thrilling 2-1 (25-27, 21-12, 16-14) contest against Mahassine & Dina.
The Bujumbura Futures tournament featured 24 men’s teams and 11 women’s teams, representing 16 nations from all five continental confederations.
Upcoming Futures events are scheduled for September 4-7 in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood