The 33rd CEV EuroBeachVolley recently concluded in Düsseldorf, delivering a thrilling week of top-tier beach volleyball and offering diverse insights into the sport’s evolving landscape across the continent. The tournament’s final chapters highlighted both established excellence and surprising breakthroughs.
In the men’s competition, Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, widely considered the most successful team in European beach volleyball history, further solidified Norway’s position as the nation with the most EuroBeachVolley gold medals. Their victory was a testament to consistent excellence. Conversely, Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko’s triumph in the women’s event came as a pleasant surprise to many, yet it clearly highlights Ukraine`s impressive ascent in European beach volleyball over recent years.
Mol and Sørum`s latest triumph brings Norway`s total men`s gold medals to seven, two more than second-placed Germany. Five of these seven titles belong to the “Beach Volley Vikings” (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2025). A remarkable achievement, they remained undefeated in all five of these championship campaigns, accumulating 31 consecutive victories during their winning streaks.
Despite finishing third in 2022, fifth in 2023, and being absent in 2024, the Norwegian duo consistently remained among the world’s elite. Their recent performance in Düsseldorf demonstrated their enduring class; the Tokyo Olympic champions played some of their best volleyball, winning all six matches while dropping only two sets, earning them another continental crown.
Mol and Sørum navigated Pool A smoothly, easily defeating Latvia’s Ardis Bedritis/Arturs Rinkevics and Germany’s Benedikt Sagstetter/Jonas Sagstetter to secure their progression. Their path to the final then led them to face teams that had claimed gold in their absence. In the Round of 16, they overcame defending champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia, despite dropping their first set of the tournament. The Vikings maintained control in their subsequent elimination matches, dispatching young Austrians Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg in the quarterfinals and Dutch veterans Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde in straight sets in the semifinals. This set up an anticipated final against Swedish stars David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, who had won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
In the fiercely contested gold medal match, the Vikings found themselves trailing after losing the first set – the first and only time they were behind in the entire tournament. However, they mounted a powerful comeback, defeating the reigning Olympic champions in a tie-breaker, thereby making history as the first players in EuroBeachVolley history to win five gold medals.
The Ascent of Ukrainian Women in Beach Volleyball
On the women’s side, the triumph of Hladun and Lazarenko, which marked Ukraine as the tenth distinct nation to secure a EuroBeachVolley gold, might have surprised many. Yet, those closely following the country`s recent progress would have anticipated that Ukraine`s first women`s medal in the event was imminent, especially after Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik earned bronze in the men’s category in 2023.
Since 2022, when Lazarenko clinched gold at the U20 EuroBeachVolley with Anhelina Khmil, Ukrainian women have amassed an impressive 21 medals on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. While early successes were primarily in Futures events, Hladun and Lazarenko have recently demonstrated their capability to compete at a higher level, securing gold in two Challenge events within the last eight months.
Further evidence of the Ukrainian women`s rising international profile emerged less than a month prior, when the nation reached the final of the CEV Beach Nations Cup. Although they narrowly lost to powerhouse Germany, missing out on their first major continental title, they didn`t have to wait long. Just two weeks later, Hladun and Lazarenko secured the EuroBeachVolley trophy. Their remarkable journey to victory in Düsseldorf included four tie-breakers, but they won all six matches, marking a pivotal moment in Ukrainian beach volleyball history.
In pool play, they showcased their strength by defeating Germany’s Paula Schurholz/Janne Uhl in straight sets and overcoming France’s Lézana Placette/Alexia Richard in a decisive tie-breaker, ultimately advancing as the top team in Pool G. The Round of 16 brought another demanding three-setter against Germany’s Linda Bock/Louisa Lippmann. While their quarterfinal victory against the Netherlands’ Mila Konink/Raisa Schoon was in two sets, both were tightly contested, highlighting their resilience.
In the semifinals, Hladun and Lazarenko rallied from an early deficit to defeat Spanish Olympians Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno, thereby guaranteeing Ukraine’s first medal at the EuroBeachVolley. A similar resilience was displayed in the gold medal match, where they triumphed over French duo Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau in a thrilling tie-breaker, securing Ukraine’s historic top finish.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood