Germans looking for fourth #EuroBeachVolley home gold

Germany is preparing to receive the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2022, which will be part of the European Championships Munich, and the winningest country in the history of the event will be looking to continue a successful tradition in the tournament this year.

The #EuroBeachVolley will head to Germany for the fourth time from August 15-21 and on each of the first three occasions, the tournament ended with a home team standing at the top of the podium with the gold medals around their necks.

The tradition started in 2004, when Timmendorfer Strand became the first German city to host the #EuroBeachVolley. That year, the home country celebrated the victory of Markus Dieckmann and Jonas Reckermann in the men’s tournament.

Four years later, the tournament moved to Hamburg, where Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig secured the women’s title. The two would win in front of their home fans again two years later, in Berlin, where they overcame Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler in the all-German gold medal match.

Three other countries have also celebrated the victory of their home teams at the #EuroBeachVolley – Italy did it in 1997 with Laura Bruschini/Annamaria Solazzi in Riccione and in 2014 with Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai in Cagliari, the Netherlands with Sanne Keizer/Marleen van Iersel and Keizer/Madelein Meppelink in 2012 and 2018 in the Hague and Austria with Doris Schwaiger/Stephanie Schwaiger in Klagenfurt in 2013.

Germany has largely been the most successful nation at the continental level, sending teams to the podium in 23 of the first 30 editions of the events. The Germans have won a record 34 medals (13 gold, 11 silver, ten bronze), considerably more than second-placed Norway, who has 21.

In this year’s edition, the country’s hopes seem to be stronger on the women’s side, where they will be represented by five teams, including top-seeded Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Müller. Tillmann, who took silver in 2020, and Müller are currently ranked fourth in the world and recently won a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Veterans Karla Borger and Julia Sude will also be among the contenders in this year’s #EuroBeachVolley. They won bronze together last year in Vienna and also in previous editions of the tournament with different partners – Borger with Britta Buthe in 2016 and Sude with Chantal Laboureur in 2017.

On the men’s side, the Germans will try to step on the podium for the first time since the victory of Reckermann and Julius Brink in 2012. The host country will have four teams competing in Munich this season and sixth-seeded Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler are probably the most likely to contend for a medal in front of their home fans.