Year in Review: Russia paving the way for future success on the sand
Editorial
The 2021 season was a memorable one for Russian beach volleyball as the country won its first-ever Olympic medal in the sport with Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Viacheslav Krasilnikov taking silver in Tokyo. And, judging by the nation’s success in the year’s Age Group European Championships, there’s a lot more to come in the future.
Russia was easily the most successful country in the U18, U20 and U22 continental tournaments as it was the only nation to win multiple titles, taking three of the six golds in play over the summer besides a bronze medal.
The events also showed that the strength of European beach volleyball is not limited to just a few countries as outside of Russia and Ukraine, which claimed a silver and a bronze, each of the other 12 medals was won by a different nation, taking as many as 14 flags to the podium in three events.
Swedish rising stars and Russian serial winners triumph at U22
The U22 European Championship was the first to take place, reuniting several World Tour regulars in Baden, Austria, in May. The titles went to the winners of the 2018 Youth Olympics, Swedish David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig and Russians Mariia Bocharova and Maria Voronina.
The Swedish jump setters completed their collection of continental silverware by winning third European title in a different Age Group. After triumphing in the U18 in 2018 and in the U20 two years later, they topped Latvians Arturs Rinkevics and Ardis Bedritis to take gold. Russians Alexey Gusev and Pavel Shustrov took bronze.
The women’s tournament also saw a highly-accomplished team at the top of the podium in Bocharova and Voronina. Arguably the winningest team in age group tournaments in international beach volleyball, they earned their eighth title together in Baden. Dutch Raisa Schoon, who would go to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and win silver at the EuroBeachVolley just a couple of months later, and Emi van Driel finished second, while Ukrainians Anhelina Khmil and Tetiana Lazarenko were third.
Russia and Slovenia at the top of U20 in Turkey
That, however, wouldn’t be the only title won by Bocharova in the summer as just a couple of months later the 19-year-old blocker would pair with Elizaveta Gubina to strike gold in the U20 tournament in Izmir, Turkey. Slovenians Rok Bracko and Rok Mozic were the winners among the women.
The Russians celebrated their second continental title together, following a victory in the U18 European Championship in 2019, with their victory over Spanish Tania Moreno and Ana Vergara in the final. Denmark’s Sofia Bisgaard and Clara Windeleff collected the bronze medal.
Mariia Bocharova"I am very happy to claim another age-group European title but I want to be successful in the bigger tournaments as well."
U20 & U22 European Champion
Bracko and Mozic improved from a silver medal won at the U18 European Championship in 2019 to take gold among the men by prevailing over Norwegians Markus Mol, the younger brother of Olympic champion and four-time EuroBeachVolley winner Anders, and Jo Sunde in the final. Italians Theo Hanni and Filippo Fusco completed the podium.
Rok Mozic"I feel really amazing. We played great as a team throughout the whole tournament. I am very happy that we won this competition. I think we deserved this title."
U20 European Champion
Switzerland and Russia victorious on U18
The intense summer ended for the young beach volleyball players of the continent in September, when the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana hosted the U18 tournament, which saw Russians Ivan Chuprinov and Vladislav Panchenko and Swiss Muriel Bossart and Leona Kernen emerge victorious.
Chuprinov and Panchenko won Russia’s third age group title in the summer with a solid win over Polish Filip Lejawa and Aleksander Czachorowski, while Austrians Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger took bronze.
Bossart and Kernen were the surprising winners among the women as the two, aged 15 and 16, recovered from an upset in pool play to go all the way to the top of the podium after a victory over Ukrainians Eva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk. Germans Jule Mantsch and Annika Berndt were third.
Muriel Bossart“When we came to Ljubljana, we did not even think that this would be possible, because we are only 15 and 16 years old and we will have another chance next year in this age group.”
U18 European Champion
Europeans shine in World Championships
The year ended with more great news to European beach volleyball with the continent celebrating fantastic results at both the U19 and the U21 World Championships, which took place in Phuket, Thailand. Europeans won three of four golds and nine of 12 medals.
The performance at the U21 event was historic, as the continent swept all three medals in both genders and placed six different nations at the podium. The women's winners were Khmil and Lazarenko, who finished ahead of Spanish Daniela Alvarez and Sofia Gonzalez and Swiss Menia Bentele and Leona Kernen.
Ahman and Hellvig led the all-European podium on the men's side, standing higher than Italians Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich and Russians Dmitrii Veretiuk and Aleksei Arkhipov.
The U19 tournament saw Frenchmen Teo Rotar and Arthur Canet lead the men's podium and Russians Olga Gavrilova and Alina Salmanova and Ukrainians Khmil and Lazarenko rank second and third among the women, behind USA's Megan Kraft and Delayne Maple.