European teams achieved significant success at the prestigious Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour event in Gstaad, Switzerland, securing a total of four medals on Sunday.
Teams representing Latvia, Switzerland (the host nation), Sweden, and the Netherlands reached the podium, earning two silver and two bronze medals for Europe in beach volleyball.
In the women`s final, Latvian Olympians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova represented Europe but were defeated by Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher. Nuss and Brasher claimed gold for the second consecutive year in Gstaad, winning the match 2-0 (21-19, 21-18).
The women`s bronze medal match was an all-Swiss affair, with the sisters Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré defeating Tanja Hüberli and Leona Kernen 2-0 (21-17, 21-11). This win marked the first time in 12 years that a Swiss women`s team reached the podium at their home event.
Anouk Vergé-Dépré, Swiss Beach Volleyball Player
On the men`s side, the young Swedish duo Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson concluded an impressive run that began in the qualifiers on Wednesday, earning silver medals. The reigning U22 European champions put up a strong fight against Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan in the final but were ultimately defeated in two sets (21-19, 22-20).
Latvians and Swiss won medals in the women`s tournament in Gstaad (Photo: Volleyball World)
The Netherlands` Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, previous Gstaad champions in 2021, secured the third European medal in the men`s event by defeating Brazilians André Loyola and George Wanderley 2-1 (21-23, 21-17, 15-10). Their podium finish coincided with de Groot`s 25th birthday.
Teams from Sweden and the Netherlands made it to the men`s podium (Photo: Volleyball World)
Yorick de Groot, Dutch Beach Volleyball Player
The next Elite 16 event on the 2025 Beach Pro Tour calendar is scheduled to take place in Montréal, Canada, from August 13 to 17.
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