Xiamen, China, April 24, 2017 - Brazil’s Fernanda Alves/Barbara Seixas and the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen basked in better weather and in the glory of their gold medals as the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in Xiamen wrapped up on Sunday.
World Championship 2015 silver medallist Fernanda Alves talked about the title in Xiamen as the start of many other things with her new partner. Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist Barbara Seixas lauded the home crowd and the home team for giving a good fight.
Earlier, the Netherlands’ Brouwer/Meeuwsen shared how they felt about facing Italy’s Paolo Nicolai/ Daniele Lupo in the men's final.
The Dutch duo defeated the Italians, 21-14, 21-17, looking forward to a great season.
Poland’s Maciej Rudol and Jakub Szalankiewicz likewise looked forward to more achievements down the road.
But first, a snapshot from the first-time World Tour medallist.
Germany’s Isabel Schneider/Victoria Bieneck had to deal with the loss against China’s Fan Wang/ Yuan Yue in the semifinal.
The German girls were happy to bag bronze,
But had to think about how to celebrate the win.
As we welcome back some,
We bid a fond farewell to referee Stephen Guigni who has served nearly a lifetime of contribution to the sport.
Time for some music during the trip back home,
And the best images as we bid Xiamen goodbye. For now.