Stam/Schoon crowned European champions in Stare Jablonki as Netherlands secure LA28 spot

On Sunday, under a cloudy sky in Stare Jablonki, Raïsa Schoon and Katja Stam of the Netherlands could celebrate two major achievements – their very first EuroBeachVolley title and securing a spot for their National Olympic Committee to compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The final match with Spain’s sensation Tania Moreno Matveeva and Sofia Izuzquiza was truly one-sided – and yet the Dutch pair could not hide their emotions as soon as the action was over. 

“When I think of where I was a year ago, with a lot of pain and barely standing upright, this success truly feels unbelievable,” said Stam, who last season was sidelined by a major back injury. “What matters the most is that we did stick together, not only the two of us, but the whole team through those challenges and now we are here to celebrate our first European Championship title,” she added. They are the first Dutch women’s team to crown themselves European champions since Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink had done so in 2018 while competing on home soil in The Hague. Raïsa Schoon and Katja Stam improved on the silver medal they had won in 2021 in Vienna – and this is also the first continental title for Raïsa’s family, to go with her own silver, a second place finish for her mom Debora and another four silver medals claimed by her aunt Rebekka de Kogel-Kadijk. “I honestly did not know I did improve on all those records today,” Raïsa admitted. 

Moreno Matveeva and 20-year-old Izuzquiza, the real sensation of the competition, looked incredibly tense and nervous throughout the gold medal match and they made mistake after mistake to pave the way for their opponents’ compelling victory (21-13, 21-11). Still, they will take many positives from the experience and their first EuroBeachVolley together – as their partnership started only a few months ago. Theirs is Spain’s fifth medal in the competition – and the second for Moreno Matveeva, who had finished second as well in 2023 with former partner Daniela Alvarez Mendoza. 

Stam and Schoon looked confident and formidable as they delivered a composed and flawless performance. Even though they have claimed a spot for their NOC at LA28, they still take some time to let it sink in: “Of course, it is still a long way to go but I think we are on the right track,” Stam said, “and I cannot wait to be able to compete in Southern California in two years’ time.” If they eventually do so, they will become three-time Olympians following their appearances at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. 

Reigning World champions Graudina and Samoilova finish with bronze 

With the ‘consolation prize’ at stake, a EuroBeachVolley bronze medal, reigning World champions Tina Graudina/Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia and France’s Clémence Vieira/Aline Chamereau returned to the court of Stare Jablonki for one last time determined to finish their campaign on a high note. A large contingent of Latvian fans cheered Tina and Anastasija on and the two-time European champions from 2019 and 2022 dictated the pace of the game for most of the opening set. However, they failed to capitalise on two set balls when leading 20-18; at this stage and after a timeout, the French team rose to the occasion with Chamereau stamping two straight imposing blocks to level the score before Vieira followed next with an ace and a crosscourt spike to seal the opening set 22-20 in their favour. Despite this setback, the Latvians did not lose their composure and after a cagey affair up to 10-all, they slowly but surely broke away to secure the second set (21-16) and stay in contention for a spot on the podium. They did the same in the tiebreaker and even though they had a little scare when Chamereau and Vieira cancelled a number of match balls, Graudina and Samoilova could eventually celebrate with their many fans when they sealed their 2-1 victory courtesy of a French service error (15-12). 

This results accounts for Graudina and Samoilova’s third EuroBeachVolley medal to go with their golden ones from 2019 in Moscow and 2022 in Munich. It is also Latvia’s fourth medal overall in the women’s competition at EuroBeachVolley since Inguna Minusa and Inese Jursone had won gold in 2009 in Sochi, Russia. “Even though we were disappointed after yesterday’s loss in the semis, it was very important for us to regroup and to secure this bronze medal since we do not have that many from the European Championships,” said Graudina. “It feels pretty special to have achieved this feat in front of so many Latvian fans here in Stare Jablonki and the many more following and cheering us on from home. We are truly grateful for all their affection and support.”