The recent CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championships in Madrid saw teams supported by FIVB`s Volleyball Empowerment program achieve significant success, securing both gold and silver medals. Andreas Sejer Kofod Brinck and Villads Flugge Napier from Denmark emerged victorious in the men`s event. In the women`s competition, France`s Romane Sobezalz and Saofe Duval earned silver, after a final match against Poland’s Zuzanna Kudlik and Julia Radelczuk. Austrian duo Lia Berger and Lilli Hohenauer claimed the women’s bronze. On the men`s side, Finland`s Veeti Viljamaa and Aleksi Hanninen took silver, while Hungary`s Bence Tari and Akos Veress secured bronze.
Volleyball Denmark has significantly benefited from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, receiving USD 126,000 in coaching support for their national beach volleyball teams, guided by German instructor Tobias Rex, alongside an additional USD 6,000 for equipment. Brinck and Napier demonstrated dominance throughout the U20 European Championship, achieving an undefeated 7-0 record and losing only two sets in total. They secured a 2-0 (21-14, 24-22) victory against Italy’s Andrea Sanguanini and Matteo Marchesan in the semifinal. In a thrilling gold medal match, they overcame Finland’s Viljamaa and Hanninen with a 2-1 (21-18, 21-23, 15-11) win. This victory marked their second continental title, following their U18 European Championship success two years prior, also held in Madrid. Furthermore, Brinck previously earned a U18 continental silver medal with a different partner.
Viljamaa and Hanninen`s impressive run in Madrid saw them lose only two of their eight matches, both times to the eventual champions, Brinck and Napier (in their opening and final games). Their remarkable six-match winning streak included a decisive 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) semifinal victory over Hungary’s Tari and Veress, which secured their place on the podium.
Tari and Veress bounced back from their semifinal loss, claiming the bronze medal with a 2-1 (16-21, 21-18, 15-11) comeback win against the Italian pair. This marks their second age-group continental bronze, having also finished third at the U18 event in Madrid two years prior.
Men’s Results and Standings
France`s beach volleyball program has received substantial support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, with a total of USD 1,077,000 allocated for coaching. Under the guidance of Isabelle Kadjo, their national youth teams have flourished. Sobezalz and Duval of France, who secured U18 bronze two years ago in Madrid, improved their performance to claim U20 silver. They progressed to the final undefeated, winning every set, and concluded their six-match winning streak with a 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) semifinal triumph over Austria’s Berger and Hohenauer.
Poland`s Kudlik and Radelczuk also maintained a flawless record, not dropping a single set across seven matches, including their hard-fought 2-0 (25-23, 21-16) victory in the final against Sobezalz and Duval. Earlier, the Polish pair dominated their semifinal, achieving a 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) sweep against Latvia’s Liva Ebere and Renate Kruklite.
Berger and Hohenauer, already decorated with four age-category European Championship medals, including last year`s U18 title, added a fifth to their collection. They secured the bronze medal with a convincing 2-0 (21-19, 21-8) victory over Ebere and Kruklite in the third-place playoff.
Women’s Results and Standings
In total, 32 women’s and 32 men’s teams, representing 32 distinct national federations, competed in the CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championships.
