Teams representing the host nation France, Spain, and Austria delivered strong performances at this week`s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event held in Montpellier. Together, they secured five of the six medals available at the popular Montpellier Beach Volley Club, located at Parc de La Rauze, over the weekend.
With two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, European duos dominated the competition, marking another successful weekend for teams from the continent at Futures events in the region.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
French fans attending the tournament in Montpellier had cause for celebration as the top-seeded home team of Elouan Chouikh-Barbez and Joadel Gardoque won the men`s final. They defeated Austrian Olympians Robin Seidl and Alexander Huber in a hard-fought three-set match (16-21, 22-20, 15-12) to claim the gold medal.
The men`s podium at the French event was completed by Spaniards Álvaro Viera and Antonio Saucedo. They secured the bronze medal by prevailing over Austrians Felix Friedl and Florian Schnetzer in straight sets (21-16, 21-13).
Spanish Claim Women`s Gold
The women`s gold medal match in Montpellier also featured a home team, but the title went to Spain. Sofía Izuzquiza and Sofía González emerged victorious after a three-set battle (21-17, 14-21, 15-9) against France`s Elsa Descamps and Anouk Dupin. This win marks their first title together, adding to the bronze medal they won in Kraków the previous month.
American qualifiers Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig reached the podium by securing third place. They defeated the Czech pair Martina Maixnerova and Kylie Neuschaeferova in two sets (21-16, 21-14) to claim the bronze medal.
The next Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Europe is scheduled to take place in three weeks, from July 18-21, in Leuven, Belgium.
The Beach Pro Tour Futures events in Europe are organized by the CEV in close cooperation with Volleyball World. These events provide European teams with significant opportunities to compete internationally and earn valuable ranking points.