Europeans take silver and bronze in Brazil

European beach volleyball teams had another productive week on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, returning home from Itapema, Brazil, the host city of the second Challenge tournament of the season, with a silver and a bronze medal.

French Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat represented Europe in the gold medal match in Brazil and won their first medal in the 2023 season, taking silver. They were joined by Norwegians Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen at the podium in Brazil.

Seeded fifth entering the tournament in Brazil, Krou and Gauthier-Rat fell to Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Wanderley in straight sets (21-16, 21-13) in the final. Before that, the French, who won last year’s Torquay Elite16, had won five consecutive matches in Itapema.

Mol and Berntsen won four straight matches after falling to Andre and George in the semifinals on Sunday morning. A few hours later, the Beach Volley Vikings rebounded, beating Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz in two sets (21-19, 21-17) and took bronze, their second medal as partners in the Beach Pro Tour and their first in the season.

In the women’s tournament, Europe placed a team in the semifinals, with Swiss Zoé Vergé-Dépré and Esmée Böbner. The two won five of their first six matches in Brazil, going from the qualifier to the semifinals, but lost twice and ended in fourth place, behind China’s Chen Xue/Xinyi Xia, Brazil’s Bárbara Seixas/Carol Salgado and USA’s Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil, who finished first, second and third.

Italians and Germans at the podium in Tahiti

European teams also succeeded in a Futures event held in Tahiti, French Polynesia, this past weekend. Italians Tiziano Andreatta and Andrea Abbiati were the winners of the men-only event, with Germans Simon Kulzer and Bennet Poniewaz finishing third and taking bronze.