Caminati and Krumins go from the qualifier to gold in Madrid
Futures in Europe
The 2024 season of Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures events in Europe started with a medal sweep by teams from the continent as duos from Italy, Denmark and Poland stood at the podium of the season-opening, men-only event held in Madrid this weekend.
Italians Marco Caminati and Davis Krumins shone the brightest among the 26 teams that entered the event, securing the title with a campaign of seven wins and just three sets dropped, which started on Thursday’s qualifier at the Parque Deportivo Puerta de Hierro in the Spanish capital.
Caminati, 31, and Krumins, 33, triumphed in their first event as partners, securing the title with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) victory over Danish Mads Møllgaard and Nicolai Hovmann, who like them, started the tournament in the qualifier.
The event also marked the return of Caminati to international beach volleyball after almost three years – he had last appeared in an FIVB one-star event in Cervia in 2021. A veteran of three EuroBeachVolleys, the defender played in 38 international events since 2014. His partner Krumins, on the other hand, first played internationally in 2020 and won his first gold medal in just his sixth event.
Poles Maciej Rudol and Filip Lejawa took bronze in Madrid, overcoming French Elouan Chouikh and Tom Altwies in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-16, 15-11) in the third-place match.
After the conclusion of the men’s event, the women will get on the sand over the next few days in Madrid, with the female tournament taking place from May 16-19. In the same period, a double-gender event will be held in Cervia, Italy.
The Beach Pro Tour Futures events in Europe are run by the CEV in close cooperation with Volleyball World and provide teams from the continent with several opportunities to compete and gain valuable international ranking points.