The recent Budapest Beach Pro Tour Futures saw teams supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment dominate, securing five out of six medals, including both gold medals. In the men`s competition, Norway`s Nils Gunnar Ringoen and Even Stray Aas claimed victory over the Netherlands` Tom Sonneville and Quinten Groenewold. Hungarian duo Artur Hajos and Bence Attila Streli earned the bronze medal, delighting local supporters. For the women, Czechia`s Veronika Kleiblova and Andrea Lorenzova triumphed against Lithuania`s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite in the final. The women`s bronze medal was awarded to Spain`s Ana Vergara and Nazaret Florian.
The success of these teams highlights the impact of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. The Norwegian Volleyball Federation has received USD 252,000 in coach support for its national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten leading the men`s duos, along with an additional USD 6,000 for coach development. The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has been allocated USD 217,600 for national beach volleyball coach support, with Michiel van der Kuip, a 1995 European champion, and his staff coaching the men`s pairs. The Hungarian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division also benefited from USD 126,000 in coach support for its men`s teams, led by Polish coach Robert Zuchowski, plus USD 6,000 for a knowledge transfer program.
Nils Gunnar Ringoen and his 19-year-old partner Even Stray Aas secured their first-ever Beach Pro Tour gold medal, marking their third medal as a pair. The eighth-seeded Norwegian duo delivered an undefeated performance in Budapest, winning all five of their matches. Their path to gold included a 2-0 (26-24, 21-15) semifinal victory against fourth-seeded Hungarians 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.
Groenewold and his 17-year-old partner earned their first Beach Pro Tour medal, a silver, finishing the tournament with a 4-2 record. They advanced to the podium after their top-seeded compatriots, Yannick Verberne and Leon Luini, forfeited their semifinal match. Verberne and Luini subsequently withdrew from the bronze medal match, which resulted in the home team of Hajos and Streli securing the bronze. This marked Hajos and Streli`s third Beach Pro Tour podium finish as a duo and their second consecutive medal, following a silver at the Bujumbura Futures the previous month.
For the women`s teams, the Czech Volleyball Federation has benefited from USD 168,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, plus USD 24,000 for coach development programs, with Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo guiding their pairs. The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation has received substantial support, totaling USD 477,000 for coach support for their national women`s duos, and an additional USD 12,000 for coach development, with Paulius Matulis and Austrian coach Simon Nausch overseeing their training.
Andrea Lorenzova and 19-year-old Veronika Kleiblova achieved their maiden Beach Pro Tour podium finish. The ninth-seeded Czech pair displayed a dominant performance in Budapest, losing only one set across five matches. They secured a 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) victory over fifth-seeded Elisavet Triantafillidi and Dimitra Manavi of Greece in the semifinals, and went on to claim the final with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) upset against the second-seeded Lithuanian duo, Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite.
For Dumbauskaite and Grudzinskaite, this silver medal marked their third silver and fourth Tour medal this year, bringing their total career medals to five. The Lithuanian pair reached the final undefeated, with their four-game winning streak culminating in a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) semifinal win against Ana Vergara and Nazaret Florian. The third-seeded Spanish team of Vergara and Florian, competing together for the first time, recovered to win the bronze medal match 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) against Triantafillidi and Manavi.
In total, 25 men`s and 28 women`s duos from 24 federations participated in the Budapest Futures tournament.
The next event on the calendar is a women`s Futures tournament in Warsaw, Poland, scheduled from September 11 to 14.
Budapest Futures: Results and Standings
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood