Sweden & Norway Capture Gold at Oddane Sand!

Men`s Final

Veteran Martin Appelgren, a long-time participant at Oddane Sand, finally reached the top of the podium at this year`s NEVZA event. After finishing as runner-up last year, he delivered an outstanding performance alongside partner Fabian Ramén to reach the final again.

Facing Norwegians Marius Pande and Magnus Helgerud in the final, the Swedish pair took the first set comfortably. However, they lost their momentum in the second set, which the Norwegians dominated. History seemed poised to repeat for Appelgren when they trailed 8-13 in the third set. But the Norwegians learned a tough lesson: don`t celebrate until the final point is scored. A few mistakes from the Norwegian side, combined with crucial aces from the Swedes in the challenging wind conditions, brought the score close. At 15-14, Fabian Ramén delivered a powerful block to seal the match victory. Appelgren expressed his long-awaited satisfaction: “10 years of trying here in Oddanesand, so nice to finally get to the top of the podium!” He also promised to return next year.

Women`s Final

In the women`s competition, Danes Clara Windeleff and Astrid Elisabeth Mellmølle played consistently well throughout the tournament. Danish players are often adept in windy conditions, and Windeleff/Mellmølle demonstrated this skill en route to the final. Their opponents were the promising young Norwegian duo Frida Berntsen and her excellent blocking partner Oda Løvø Steinsvåg. This young Norwegian pair has recently shown great skill and achieved strong results, which continued in this tournament.

Although the Danes played well, they couldn`t overcome the Norwegians. Frida and Oda secured the gold medal, winning the final match in straight sets (2-0).

Event Context

Beautiful Oddane Sand once again provided lovely weather for the event. The NEVZA tournament concluded on Thursday, almost 40 years after the very first beach volleyball tournament was held at this historical Norwegian location. Following this, over the weekend, the courts will be filled with nearly 300 children and families participating in beach camps organized by Camps R’us, followed by a Norwegian tour tournament. Hundreds of new and experienced players are taking part in these diverse events. We eagerly anticipate welcoming everyone back next year as we celebrate the winners from Sweden (men) and Norway (women)!