Norwegian beach volleyball sensation Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, who benefit from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, have once again topped a high-level podium. They clinched the men’s gold at the recent Hamburg Elite tournament in Germany, part of the Beach Pro Tour. Also supported by the program, Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands secured the bronze medal, while Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl earned silver. In the women’s competition, Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth celebrated their trophy. Brazilian duos Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Ana Patricia Ramos completed the women`s podium, taking silver and bronze respectively.
The Norwegian national volleyball federation, Norges Volleyballforbund, has received a total of USD 252,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for its national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten overseeing the men’s pairs. An additional USD 6,000 was granted for a national team coach development knowledge transfer program. Similarly, the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has been allocated USD 217,600 from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment to support its national beach volleyball coaching staff. Their men`s teams are coached by Michiel van der Kuip, a European champion from 1995 as a player, and his team.
The world’s number one team and reigning European champions, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, demonstrated their consistent excellence by securing their second consecutive Elite gold on the Beach Pro Tour, following their victory in Montreal two weeks prior. In Hamburg, the top-seeded Norwegians, affectionately known as the “Beachvolley Vikings,” dropped only a single set throughout their entire campaign. Their six-game winning streak culminated in a dominant 2-0 (21-12, 21-16) semifinal victory over Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots, followed by a decisive 2-0 (25-23, 21-14) win against Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl in the gold medal match. This triumph marks their third Elite trophy this year and boosts their already remarkable Beach Pro Tour record to 25 medals, including 14 golds.
Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands commenced their Hamburg journey with four consecutive wins, which propelled them into the semifinals. Despite a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) defeat to Losiak and Bryl, the second-seeded Dutchmen rebounded strongly with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) shutout against Plavins and Fokerots in the third-place match to claim their 10th Beach Pro Tour medal as a pair. This year, they have reached the podium in all but one of their five appearances on the Tour.
Having secured the silver medal with a 4-3 win-loss record in Hamburg, the Polish duo has now amassed a total of 10 podium finishes on the Beach Pro Tour.
On the women’s side, Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth navigated the tournament with an impressive six-match winning streak, earning their first-ever Beach Pro Tour gold as a duo. Their only previous medal was a silver claimed at the Alanya Challenge in June. In the semifinals, the sixth-seeded Gottardi and Orsi Toth orchestrated a 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) upset against top-seeded home favorites Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann. They then mounted a compelling 2-1 comeback (17-21, 21-18, 15-6) in the final to defeat the world’s number one team, second-seeded Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes of Brazil.
Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes also made it to the gold medal match undefeated, riding a five-game winning streak. Their journey included a thrilling 2-1 (21-11, 16-21, 16-14) victory in an all-Brazilian semifinal against reigning Olympic champions Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) and Ana Patricia Ramos, who were seeded fifth in Hamburg. Thamela and Coradello’s Beach Pro Tour collection now features a total of six medals.
Duda and Ana Patricia secured their third consecutive Elite-level bronze, following similar achievements in Brasilia and Montreal, by defeating Muller and Tillmann 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) in the third-place playoff. They now boast an impressive total of 18 Beach Pro Tour medals.
The Hamburg Elite tournament saw participation from 32 men’s teams and 31 women’s teams, representing 23 different countries.
The next Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour is scheduled to take place in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, from September 17 to 21.
