Lausanne, Switzerland, July 25, 2017 - With three events played last week in Poland, Korea and Morocco, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has now held 18 events overall on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour calendar.
Last week, the FIVB calendar included the double-gender FIVB Olsztyn 4-Star tournament in Poland, the women’s only FIVB Ulsan 1-Star tournament in Korea and the double-gender FIVB Agadir 1-Star tournament in Morocco. There have now been 12 men’s events and 17 women’s tournaments so far on the 2017 FIVB World Tour.
Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesA team from Germany won the men’s gold medal in Olsztyn and a team from Brazil won the women’s gold, a team from the United States won the gold medal in Ulsan, Korea. In Agadir, a team from France won the men’s gold medal and a team from Switzerland won the women’s gold medal.
This week, the 2017 FIVB World Tour calendar will see the start of the premier event of the season at the $1 million 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships being held from Friday, July 28 through Sunday, August 6. The FIVB World Championships will be held on a purpose-built venue on Danube Island in Vienna, Austria.
The other event this week will be the men's only FIVB Espinho 2-Star event in Portugal (July 28-30).
FIVB Olsztyn - Men
Winning the men’s gold medal last week at the FIVB Olsztyn tournament with a 6-1 match record was Germany’s 25th-seeded Markus Bockermann/Lars Fluggen who came from behind to stop USA’s 13th-seeded Ryan Doherty/John Hyden in three sets 2-1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-11) in 44 minutes. It was the third career FIVB World Tour gold medal for Bockermann and third for Fluggen and third for the Bockermann/Fluggen tandem who have now played in 31 FIVB World Tour events as a team.
Earning the men’s bronze medal in Olsztyn was Mexico’s 16th-seeded Lombardo Ontiveros/Juan Virgen who defeated Latvia’s 21st-seeded Martins Plavins/Haralds Regza in straight sets 2-0 (21-17, 22-20) in 40 minutes. Playing in their 43rd FIVB World Tour event, it was the fourth bronze medal for the Ontiveros/Virgen team.
In the Olsztyn men’s semifinals, Germany’s Bockermann/Fluggen advanced to the gold medal match by defeating Latvia’s Plavins/Regza in straight sets, 2-0 (21-14, 21-13) in just 29 minutes and USA’s Doherty/Hyden advanced by stopping Mexico’s Ontiveros/Virgen in two sets, 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) in 36 minutes.
Germany’s Markus Bockermann was selected as the men’s Most Outstanding Player of the FIVB Olsztyn tournament.
Celebrating in Olsztyn, Poland are both the men and women's podiums together, from left USA and Canada (silver), Brazil and Germany (gold) and Brazil and Mexico (bronze).
FIVB Olsztyn - Women
Winning the women’s gold medal at the women’s FIVB Olsztyn tournament with a perfect 6-0 match record was Brazil’s top-seeded Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca who came from behind and held off Canada’s third-seeded Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan in three sets, 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 16-14) in 50 minutes. Playing in their 34th tournament as a team, it was the 16th career FIVB gold medal for the Talita/Larissa duo and individually it was a record 62nd career gold medal for Larissa and 34th career gold medal for Talita.
Earning the women’s bronze medal in Olsztyn was Brazil’s fourth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda 'Duda' Lisboa who won by forfeit over USA’s 24th-seeded qualifier/country quota team of Nicole Branagh/Kerri Walsh Jennings. Walsh Jennings injured her right shoulder near the end of their tough semifinal loss to Canada’s Humana-Paredes/Pavan and could not continue.
To reach the women’s gold medal match in Olsztyn from their respective semifinals, Brazil’s Talita/Larissa defeated their Brazilian compatriots Agatha/Duda in two sets, 2-0 (21-19, 24-22) in 39 minutes and Canada’s Humana-Paredes/Pavan held off USA’s Branagh/Walsh Jennings in three sets, 2-1 (21-13, 19-21, 16-14) in 53 minutes.
Brazil’s Talita Antunes was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the women’s FIVB Olsztyn tournament.
Brazil's Talita Antunes, left, was selected as the women's Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 FIVB Olsztyn tournament in Poland.
FIVB Ulsan - Women
Winning the women’s gold medal at the women’s FIVB Ulsan tournament in Korea with a 4-0 match record was USA’s third-seeded Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen who stopped Thailand’s top-seeded Varapatsorn Radarong/Tanarattha Udomchavee in straight sets, 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) in only 30 minutes. Playing in just their sixth tournament as a team on the FIVB World Tour, it was the second career FIVB gold medal for both Flint and Larsen as a team and individually as well. The American duo also won the gold medal at the FIVB Jiangning tournament this year in China. For Thailand’s Radarong/Udomchavee, this was the second straight silver medal after earning the silver last week as well in Daegu, Korea.
USA's Betsi Flint, left, and Kelley Larsen earned their second FIVB World Tour gold medal at the FIVB Ulsan tournament in Korea as Larsen was picked as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.Earning the women’s bronze medal in Ulsan was New Zealand’s seventh-seeded Shaunna Polley/Kelsie Wills who defeated Thailand’s fifth-seeded Khanittha Hongpak/Rumpaipruet Numwong in two sets 2-0 (21-17, 21- 18) in 35 minutes. For New Zealand’s Polley/Wills it was just their third FIVB World Tour event and second final four finish to go with one fourth place finish.
To reach the women’s gold medal match in Ulsan from their respective semifinals, USA’s Flint/Larsen stopped New Zealand’s Polley/Wills in two sets, 2-0 (21-16, 21-15) in 30 minutes and Thailand’s Radarong/Udomchavee swept their Thailand compatriots in two sets, 2-0 (21-12, 21-21) in just 31 minutes.
USA’s Kelley Larsen was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the women’s FIVB Ulsan event.
FIVB Agadir - Men
Winning the men’s gold medal at the FIVB Agadir event in Morocco with a 4-0 match record was France’s eighth-seeded Quincy Aye/Youssef Krou who stopped Qatar’s third-seeded Julio Nascimento/Ahmed Tijan in straight sets, 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) in 34 minutes. It was the first FIVB gold medal for France’s Aye/Krou.
Earning the men’s bronze medal in Agadir was Iran’s Rahman Raoufi/Bahman Salemiinjehboroun who came back to defeat Morocco’s fourth-seeded Mohamed Abicha/Zouheir Elgraoui in three sets, 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 16-14) in 59 minutes.
In the Agadir men’s semifinals, France’s Aye/Krou advanced to the gold medal match by defeating Morocco’s Abicha/Elgraoui in straight sets, 2-0 (21-12, 21-16) in 34 minutes and Qatar’s Nascimento/Tijan advanced by beating Iran’s Raoufi/Salemiinjehboroun in three sets, 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 15-11) in 47 minutes.
France’s Youssef Krou was selected as the men’s Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 FIVB Agadir tournament.
In Agadir, Morocco, France's Quincy Aye, left, and Youssef Krou, who was selected as the men's Most Outstanding Player, won the gold medal.
FIVB Agadir - Women
Winning the women’s gold medal at the women’s 2017 FIVB Agadir tournament in Morocco with a 4-0 match record, was Switzerland’s second-seeded Nicole Eiholzer/Dunja Gerson who toppled Japan’s ninth-seeded Azusa Futami/Akiko Hasegawa in straight sets, 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) in 35 minutes.
Earning the women’s bronze medal in Agadir, France’s fifth-seeded Aline Chamereau/Lezana Placette defeated Paraguay’s Erika Bobadilla/Gabriela Filippo in straight sets 2-0 (21-9, 21-12) in only 29 minutes.
To reach the women’s gold medal match in Agadir from their respective semifinals, Switzerland’s Eiholzer/Gerson defeated Paraguay’s Bobadilla/Filippo in two sets, 2-0 (21-16, 21-7) in 29 minutes and Japan’s Futami/Hasegawa upset France’s Chamereau/Placette in three sets, 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-13) in 51 minutes.
Switzerland’s Nicole Eiholzer was selected as the women’s Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 FIVB Agadir tournament.
