Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway, beneficiaries of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, achieved another significant victory, claiming the men`s gold at last week’s Hamburg Elite Beach Pro Tour in Germany. The Netherlands` Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, also supported by the program, took bronze, while Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl earned silver. In the women’s competition, Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth celebrated the gold trophy. Brazilian duos Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes, along with Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) and Ana Patricia Ramos, completed the women`s podium with silver and bronze, respectively.
The Norwegian national federation, Norges Volleyballforbund, has received a total of USD 252,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten overseeing the men’s pairs. An additional USD 6,000 was granted for a national team coach development knowledge transfer program. Similarly, the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has been allocated a total of USD 217,600 for their national beach volleyball teams` coach support. Their men’s pairs are trained by the experienced Michiel van der Kuip, a 1995 European champion as a player, and his staff.
The world`s number one team and reigning European champions, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, continued their dominant form, securing their second consecutive Elite gold on the Beach Pro Tour after their Montreal win two weeks prior. In Hamburg, the top-seeded Norwegians dropped only one set throughout their six-game winning streak. They decisively beat Latvia`s Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots 2-0 (21-12, 21-16) in the semifinal, and triumphed over Poland`s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl 2-0 (25-23, 21-14) in the gold medal match. This marks the `Beachvolley Vikings` third Elite trophy of the season and boosts their impressive Beach Pro Tour record to 25 medals, including 14 golds.
Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands started strongly in Hamburg with four consecutive wins, reaching the semifinals. After a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) loss to Losiak and Bryl, the second-seeded Dutch pair recovered to defeat Plavins and Fokerots 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) in the third-place match, earning their 10th Beach Pro Tour medal as a team. This marks their fourth podium finish in five Tour appearances this year.
Poland’s Losiak and Bryl secured silver with a 4-3 win-loss record in Hamburg, achieving their 10th podium finish on the Tour.
In the women’s tournament, Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth had an undefeated run of six matches, claiming their first-ever Beach Pro Tour gold as a duo. Their previous best was a silver at the Alanya Challenge in June. In the semifinals, the sixth-seeded Italians staged a 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) upset against top-seeded home favorites Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann. They then completed a remarkable comeback in the final, defeating the world’s number one team, second-seeded Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes of Brazil, 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-6).
Thamela and Coradello also reached the gold medal match undefeated, with a five-game winning streak that included a thrilling 2-1 (21-11, 16-21, 16-14) victory in an all-Brazilian semifinal against the reigning Olympic champions Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) and Ana Patricia Ramos, who were seeded fifth. Thamela and Coradello now boast a total of six Beach Pro Tour medals.
Duda and Ana Patricia secured their third consecutive Elite-level bronze, following similar successes in Brasilia and Montreal, by beating Muller and Tillmann 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) in the third-place playoff. Their impressive Beach Pro Tour medal count now stands at 18.
The Hamburg Elite event saw participation from 32 men’s teams and 31 women’s teams, representing 23 different countries.
The next Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour is scheduled for Joao Pessoa, Brazil, from September 17 to 21.
Finley Blackwood