Dutch Olympians Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot secured bronze medals at this week`s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Rio de Janeiro, which concluded on Sunday. They proudly represented Europe on the podium.
On the iconic sands of Copacabana Beach, host of the 2016 Olympic Games, the Dutch duo triumphed over the 2024 European champions, Latvians Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots, in a hard-fought three-set match (17-21, 21-17, 15-11) to claim their bronze.
This medal marks the sixth for the Paris 2024 Olympians in the 2025 Beach Pro Tour season. The pair has demonstrated particular success in Brazil, having previously earned gold in Brasília and bronze in Saquarema, João Pessoa, and now Rio de Janeiro. Their additional bronze medals were won in Gstaad and Hamburg.
The men`s gold medal went to Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who defeated Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz in the final.
In the women`s tournament, two Brazilian teams competed in the final: Carol Salgado and Rebecca Cavalcanti won gold, while Thamela Coradello/Victoria Lopes took silver. Americans Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft completed the podium in third place.
The most successful European women`s teams were Switzerland`s Anouk Vergé-Dépré/Zoé Vergé-Dépré and Italy`s Valentina Gottardi/Reka Orsi Toth, both finishing in fifth place.
Next week, the Beach Pro Tour will move to Mexico, with the city of Veracruz hosting a Challenger tournament from Thursday to Sunday.
