Teams receiving support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program showcased an exceptional performance at the recent CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. These beneficiaries collectively secured an impressive five medals across both men`s and women`s categories. The women`s podium was graced by Ukrainian champions Maryna Hladun & Tetiana Lazarenko, French runners-up Clemence Vieira & Aline Chamereau, and German bronze medalists Svenja Muller & Cinja Tillmann. In the men’s competition, Norway’s Anders Mol & Christian Sorum clinched the gold medal, while the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer & Steven van de Velde earned bronze, with Sweden’s David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig securing the silver.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has played a pivotal role in the success of these national federations. Since 2022, the Ukraine Volleyball Federation has received USD 670,000 to bolster its volleyball and beach volleyball initiatives. France’s beach volleyball department has also benefited significantly from coach support funding from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, totaling USD 1,077,000, enabling their women`s national duos to train under the expert guidance of Youssef Krou. The Federation Francaise de Volleyball further received USD 5,500 for beach volleyball equipment. Similarly, the German Volleyball Federation’s beach volleyball department was granted USD 168,000 in coach support, with their national pairs training under the supervision of Christoph Dieckmann, a former European champion and two-time Olympian.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
Seventh-seeded Maryna Hladun & Tetiana Lazarenko of Ukraine navigated the women’s tournament with an impeccable record, winning all six of their matches to secure Ukraine’s inaugural EuroBeachVolley title in either gender. In a thrilling semifinal, Hladun & Lazarenko demonstrated remarkable resilience, coming back from a set down to defeat Spanish Olympians Daniela Alvarez & Tania Moreno with a 2-1 (15-21, 21-16, 15-11) victory. They replicated this impressive comeback in Sunday’s gold medal match against fifth-seeded French Olympians Clemence Vieira & Aline Chamereau, securing a nail-biting 2-1 (21-23, 21-18, 16-14) win.
Vieira & Chamereau also reached the final undefeated, completing a five-match winning streak. Their dominant 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) semifinal sweep against the former world number one team and defending European champions Svenja Muller & Cinja Tillmann secured France’s second medal in the history of the women’s European Championships, following their first silver from 26 years prior.
Bouncing back from their only loss in the tournament, the eighth-seeded German duo of Muller & Tillmann claimed the bronze medal with a decisive 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) victory over Alvarez & Moreno, marking their second EuroBeachVolley medal.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
On the men`s side, Norges Volleyballforbund (the Norwegian national federation) has been allocated a total of USD 232,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten overseeing the men’s duos. An additional USD 6,000 was provided for a national team coaches development knowledge transfer program. The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has also received USD 217,600 in coach support for their national beach volleyball teams, whose men’s pairs are trained by coach Michiel van der Kuip, a European champion as a player in 1995, and his dedicated staff.
Norway’s Anders Mol & Christian Sorum secured their fifth European title, and their first in four years. The world’s number one team, Olympic gold medalists at Tokyo 2020, and bronze medalists at Paris 2024, returned to continental supremacy with a flawless record of six wins in six matches in Dusseldorf, dropping only two sets throughout the competition. Their grand finale against reigning Olympic champions and two-time European champions David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden was a classic Scandinavian showdown. The top-seeded “Beachvolley Vikings” ultimately claimed a 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 15-11) comeback victory over the second-seeded “Swedish Jump-setters.”
In the semifinals, Mol & Sorum achieved a comprehensive 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) win over the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer & Steven van de Velde, seeded 18th. Concurrently, Ahman & Hellvig secured a hard-fought 2-0 (27-25, 21-17) victory against another strong Dutch pair, 11th-seeded Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot.
The all-Dutch bronze medal match saw Brouwer & Van de Velde outpace Boermans & De Groot with a 2-1 (11-21, 26-24, 15-13) comeback win, successfully securing their place on the podium.
The CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships featured a total of 32 women’s and 32 men’s teams, representing 19 different federations, highlighting the widespread participation and competitive spirit of the event.
