European beach volleyball pairs achieved notable success at the Gstaad Elite16 event, a renowned stop on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour held in the Swiss Alps. European athletes secured a total of four medals on Sunday.
Latvians and Swiss won medals in the women`s tournament in Gstaad (Photo: Volleyball World)
Teams representing Latvia, Switzerland (the host nation), Sweden, and the Netherlands reached the podium, collectively earning two silver and two bronze medals for European beach volleyball.
In the women`s final, Latvian Olympians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova represented Europe but were defeated by Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher. Nuss and Brasher claimed the gold medal, winning in straight sets (21-19, 21-18) for a second-straight season in the Swiss city.
The women`s bronze medal match was an all-Swiss affair. Sisters Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré defeated compatriots Tanja Hüberli and Leona Kernen 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) to secure the bronze. Their victory marked the first time in 12 years that a Swiss women`s team reached the podium at their home event in Gstaad.
Anouk Vergé-Dépré
Swiss Beach Volleyball Player
In the men`s competition, young Swedes Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson had a remarkable run, progressing from Wednesday`s qualifier all the way to the silver medal. The reigning U22 European champions put up a strong fight against Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan in the final but ultimately lost in two tight sets (21-19, 22-20).
Teams from Sweden and the Netherlands made it to the men`s podium (Photo: Volleyball World)
Adding another European medal in the men`s event, Dutch duo Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot secured the bronze. The 2021 Gstaad champions defeated Brazilians André Loyola and George Wanderley in a three-set battle (21-23, 21-17, 15-10). This podium finish coincided with Yorick de Groot`s 25th birthday.
Yorick de Groot
Dutch Beach Volleyball Player
The next Elite16 event on the 2025 Beach Pro Tour calendar is scheduled to take place in Montréal, Canada, from August 13-17.
