Youna Coens and Sarah Cools secured a silver medal in the women`s event.
Belgian beach volleyball enthusiasts had ample reason to celebrate on Monday, their National Day. Three Belgian duos clinched podium finishes at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event, which took place over four days in Leuven.
The host nation`s teams delivered an impressive performance, securing gold and silver in the men`s competition, and silver in the women`s. This strong showing marked another successful week on the Beach Pro Tour for European teams. Austria also claimed a gold medal in the women`s division, while the Netherlands earned bronze in the women`s event, and Poland completed the men`s podium.
Men`s Competition Highlights
The men`s gold medal match, held at the popular Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein square, provided a thrilling spectacle for the home crowd as two Belgian teams vied for the top honor. In a fiercely contested three-set battle, brothers Louis and Gilles Vandecaveye emerged victorious over their compatriots Kyan Vercauteren and Joppe Van Langendonck with a score of 2-1 (19-21, 21-16, 15-12). This win marks their second consecutive Beach Pro Tour home title, following their triumph in Brussels last year.
Polish Olympian Piotr Kantor, alongside his new partner Artem Besarab, secured their first medal together. Having started their campaign in Thursday’s qualifier, the duo claimed the bronze medal by defeating Czech pair Adam Waber and Matyas Jezek in straight sets (21-17, 23-21).
Women`s Competition Highlights
Belgium was also represented in the women’s gold medal match. However, Youna Coens and Sarah Cools were unable to overcome the formidable reigning U18 European champions, Lia Berger and Lilli Hohenauer of Austria. The Austrian duo secured the title with a decisive two-set victory (21-17, 21-19).
In the bronze medal match, Dutch pair Lisa Luini and Desy Poiesz prevented a fourth Belgian team from reaching the podium. They defeated wildcards Britt Ruysschaert and Isabel Van den Broeck in straight sets (21-15, 21-18) to claim the bronze medals for their country.
The Beach Pro Tour will now observe a one-month hiatus for Futures events in Europe. Competition is set to resume in Brno, Czechia, with a double-gender tournament scheduled from August 21-24.
These European Beach Pro Tour Futures events are jointly organized by the CEV and Volleyball World. They offer continental teams valuable opportunities to compete, enhance their skills, and accumulate crucial international ranking points.
