Norway`s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum clinched the men`s gold at last week`s Montreal Elite on the Beach Pro Tour. German duo Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann secured the women`s silver medal. Both teams received crucial support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Sweden`s Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, alongside Czechia`s Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner, completed the men`s podium. Canadian favorites Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson captured the women`s trophy, while Brazil`s Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) earned bronze.
Support for Norwegian Teams
The Norwegian national federation, Norges Volleyballforbund, has been allocated a total of USD 252,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams. Jetmund Bernsten oversees the men`s duos. An additional USD 6,000 was granted for a national team coaches development knowledge transfer program.
Mol & Sorum`s Path to Gold
The world`s top-ranked team, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, faced a challenging pool stage in Montreal, navigating three tie-breakers and winning two. They then dominated the elimination rounds, advancing without dropping a single set. In the semifinals, the top-seeded “Beachvolley Vikings” defeated reigning world champions Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner (Czechia) 2-0 (21-14, 21-18). They followed this with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) victory in the final against Sweden`s Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson. This win marks their second Elite gold in 2025, bringing their impressive Beach Pro Tour medal tally to 24, including 13 gold.
Men`s Podium Highlights
The 10th-seeded Swedish youngsters, Holting Nilsson and Andersson, achieved their third consecutive Beach Pro Tour podium finish. They upset their highly-ranked compatriots, second-seeded reigning Olympic champions David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, in a thrilling 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 18-16) semifinal match. This performance expanded their Tour collection to eight medals.
The fifth-seeded world champions Perusic and Schweiner also overcame the Olympic champions in a dramatic 2-1 (14-21, 22-20, 20-18) comeback victory to secure the bronze medal. This distinguished Czech duo`s Tour record now stands at 11 podium finishes.
Support for German Teams
The German Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball department has received a total of USD 168,000 in coach support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. Their national pairs train under the guidance of former European champion and two-time Olympian Christoph Dieckmann.
Muller & Tillmann`s Silver Medal Journey
Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann, the world`s number two team and seventh seeds in the Montreal women’s main draw, advanced to the semifinals without losing a single set. They faced their first significant challenge in the semifinal against second-seeded Latvians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova but prevailed 2-1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-10). This victory set up a gold medal match against the fourth-seeded home favorites, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson. The Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalists ultimately defeated them 2-0 (21-15, 22-20), leaving the German pair with their seventh Beach Pro Tour medal.
Women`s Podium Highlights
Melissa and Brandie concluded the tournament undefeated, dropping only two sets across six matches. In a rematch of the Paris 2024 gold medal match, the Canadian pair secured a 2-0 (21-11, 22-20) semifinal victory over Brazil’s Ana Patricia and Duda, who were eighth seeds in Montreal. As a duo, Melissa and Brandie have now accumulated three gold and six total medals on the Beach Pro Tour.
For reigning Olympic champions Ana Patricia and Duda, this was their first Beach Pro Tour appearance since April, when they earned a Brasilia Elite bronze. After their semifinal loss to the home team, the former world`s number one pair rebounded with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) shutout win against Tina and Anastasija in the third-place match, securing their second consecutive bronze and their tenth overall Tour medal together.
Event Overview
The Montreal Elite event saw participation from 27 men’s teams and 28 women’s teams, representing 21 different countries.
Upcoming Event
The next Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour is scheduled for Hamburg, Germany, from August 27 to 31.
For all results and standings from the Montreal Elite, please refer to official tournament records.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood