Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway, backed by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program, continued their dominant performance by securing another gold medal at the Hamburg Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour. This remarkable victory marks their second consecutive Elite gold, following their triumph in Montreal just two weeks prior.
The men`s podium in Hamburg also saw Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot from the Netherlands claim bronze, a team that also benefits from the Volleyball Empowerment initiative. The silver medal was awarded to Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl, while Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth celebrated the women’s trophy. Two Brazilian duos, Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes, and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Ana Patricia Ramos, completed the women`s podium with silver and bronze, respectively.
FIVB Empowerment Program`s Impact
The success of the Norwegian team is significantly bolstered by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. Norges Volleyballforbund, Norway`s national federation, has received a total of USD 252,000 in coach support for its national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten overseeing the men’s duos. An additional USD 6,000 was allocated for a national team coach development knowledge transfer program.
Similarly, the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has been funded with USD 217,600 in support for their national beach volleyball teams. Their men`s pairs are expertly trained by coach Michiel van der Kuip, a European champion as a player from 1995, and his dedicated staff.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
Mol and Sorum, widely recognized as the world’s number one team and reigning European champions, delivered a stellar performance throughout the tournament. The top-seeded Norwegians dropped only a single set across their matches. They secured a commanding 2-0 (21-12, 21-16) victory in the semifinal against Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots, before triumphing over Poland’s Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl with a 2-0 (25-23, 21-14) win in the gold medal showdown. This marks their third Elite trophy this season and elevates their already impressive Beach Pro Tour record to 25 medals, including 14 golds.
The Dutch pair of Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot started their Hamburg campaign strongly with four consecutive wins, advancing to the semifinals. After a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) loss to Losiak and Bryl, the second-seeded Dutchmen rebounded to claim the bronze medal. They achieved a decisive 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) shutout against Plavins and Fokerots in the third-place match, earning their 10th Beach Pro Tour medal as a pair. This consistent performance means they have reached the podium in all but one of their five Tour appearances this year.
Poland`s Losiak and Bryl, by securing the silver medal with a 4-3 win-loss record in Hamburg, have also now accumulated a total of 10 podium finishes on the Tour.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
On the women’s side, Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth celebrated their inaugural Beach Pro Tour gold as a duo, maintaining an undefeated six-match winning streak. Their only prior medal was a silver at the Alanya Challenge in June. In the semifinals, the sixth-seeded Gottardi and Orsi Toth executed a skillful 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) upset against the top-seeded home favorites Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann. They then mounted a spectacular 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-6) comeback 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 achieved an undefeated run to the gold medal match, building a five-game winning streak. Their semifinal clash was a tense all-Brazilian encounter, culminating in a nail-biting 2-1 (21-11, 16-21, 16-14) victory over the reigning Olympic champions Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) and Ana Patricia Ramos, who were seeded fifth in Hamburg. This silver medal contributes to Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes’ collection of six Beach Pro Tour medals.
Duda and Ana Patricia secured their third consecutive Elite-level bronze medal, following previous successes in Brasilia and Montreal. They defeated Muller and Tillmann 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) in the third-place playoff, bringing their impressive total of Beach Pro Tour medals to 18.
The Hamburg Elite event showcased intense international competition, featuring 32 men’s teams and 31 women’s teams from 23 different countries.
The next Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour calendar is set to take place in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, from September 17 to 21.
