European duos win five medals at Doha Challenge
Beach Pro Tour
European teams were dominant in this weekend’s international beach volleyball action as they won five of the six medals in play at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge event that took place in Doha, Qatar.
The men’s tournament showcased the best of European beach volleyball as the continent had all four semifinalists, promoting the first continental podium sweep of the event, and six of the eight duos that made it to the quarterfinals.
Michal Bryl and Bartosz Losiak stepped at the top of the podium after the Polish prevailed against the new Italian team of Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava in the two-set (21-18, 21-15) gold medal match.
The Poles, who are also in their first year as partners, celebrated their second title in the young season as they had also won the season-opening Challenge tournament in Tlaxcala, Mexico, in March.
Bartosz Losiak“We came here with the goal of winning the tournament, but it was really hard, especially with the weather. We tried to show our best and I think we did. We were very calm the entire time and that was the key. The level was really high, especially with the European teams. The biggest moment of the season is approaching with the World Championship and the Elite16 events in Europe and everyone is trying to prepare well for it.”
Polish Beach Volleyball Player
Austrians Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz completed the all-European men’s podium in Qatar after they defeated the silver medallists of last year’s A1 CEV EuroBeachVolley Vienna 2021, Dutch Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, in the bronze medal match 21-17, 21-18.
Among the women, Europe had two duos flanking the winners, Brazilians Barbara Seixas and Carol Salgado, at the podium. Germans Chantal Laboureur and Sarah Schulz advanced all the way to the final in a remarkable campaign, but couldn’t handle the South Americans, falling 21-13, 21-13.
Reigning EuroBeachVolley champions Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland guaranteed Europe’s fifth medal in Qatar with a strong three-set (13-21, 21-19, 15-11) victory against the silver medallists of last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho, in the bronze medal match.
Next week, the Beach Pro Tour heads to Europe for the first of several events set to take place in the continent over the next five months. The first of them will be a Futures men’s tournament in Madrid, Spain, from May 12-15.