Teams backed by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment showcased exceptional performance at last week`s Budapest Futures on the Beach Pro Tour, securing five out of six available medals, including both gold titles. In the men`s final, Norway`s Nils Gunnar Ringoen and Even Stray Aas triumphed over the Dutch duo Tom Sonneville and Quinten Groenewold. Meanwhile, Hungary`s Artur Hajos and Bence Attila Streli delighted their home crowd by claiming the bronze medal. The women`s competition saw Czechia`s Veronika Kleiblova and Andrea Lorenzova emerge victorious, defeating Lithuania`s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite in a thrilling final. Spain`s Ana Vergara and Nazaret Florian secured the women`s bronze, rounding out the podium.
The success of these teams is partly attributed to the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Norges Volleyballforbund, the Norwegian national federation, has received USD 252,000 in coach support for its national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten leading the men`s duos. An additional USD 6,000 was provided for a national team coach development and knowledge transfer program. Similarly, the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) benefited from USD 217,600 in coach support for its national beach volleyball teams, with their men`s pairs trained by Michiel van der Kuip, a 1995 European champion, and his staff. The Hungarian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division also received USD 126,000 in coach support for their men`s duos, under the guidance of Polish coach Robert Zuchowski, complemented by another USD 6,000 for a knowledge transfer program.
Nils Gunnar Ringoen, alongside his 19-year-old partner Even Stray Aas, secured their first-ever top podium finish on the Beach Pro Tour, marking their third medal as a duo. The eighth-seeded Norwegian pair maintained an undefeated record, winning all five matches in Budapest. Their path to gold included a significant 2-0 (26-24, 21-15) semifinal victory against the fourth-seeded Hungarian team of Artur Hajos and Bence Attila Streli, followed by a tight 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 16-14) win over the fifth-seeded Dutch pair Tom Sonneville and Quinten Groenewold in the final.
Despite their loss in the final, Groenewold and his 17-year-old teammate earned their first Beach Pro Tour medal, securing silver with a 4-2 win-loss record. They advanced to the podium after their scheduled semifinal opponents, top-seeded compatriots Yannick Verberne and Leon Luini, forfeited the match. Verberne and Luini also withdrew from the third-place contest, allowing the Hungarian home favorites, Hajos and Streli, to claim the bronze. This marked Hajos and Streli`s third Beach Pro Tour podium finish as a team and their second consecutive medal, having previously won silver at the Bujumbura Futures.
On the women`s side, the Czech Volleyball Federation received USD 168,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their beach volleyball teams, along with an additional USD 24,000 for coach development and knowledge transfer initiatives. Their female athletes benefit from the expertise of Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo. The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball department has also been significantly supported, receiving USD 477,000 in coach support for its national duos and USD 12,000 for knowledge transfer programs. Their women`s teams are coached by Paulius Matulis and Austrian coach Simon Nausch.
Andrea Lorenzova and 19-year-old Veronika Kleiblova celebrated their inaugural appearance on a Beach Pro Tour podium. The ninth-seeded Czech pair displayed dominance throughout the tournament in Budapest, losing only one set across five matches. Their successful campaign included a decisive 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) victory against Greece`s fifth-seeded Elisavet Triantafillidi and Dimitra Manavi in the semifinals, followed by an impressive 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) win over the second-seeded Lithuanian duo, Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite, in the final.
For Dumbauskaite and Grudzinskaite, this silver medal marked their third silver and fourth Tour medal of the current year, bringing their total career collection to five medals. The Lithuanian team had an undefeated run to the final, culminating in a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) semifinal triumph over Ana Vergara and Nazaret Florian. The third-seeded Spanish pair, making their debut together on the Tour, recovered swiftly, securing a 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) victory against Triantafillidi and Manavi in the third-place match to clinch the bronze.
The Budapest Futures tournament brought together 25 men`s and 28 women`s duos, representing a total of 24 national federations.
The next event on the calendar is a women`s Futures tournament scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland, from September 11 to 14.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood