An epic battle of 216 matches involving 48 men’s and 48 women’s teams and played over 10 days, saw new world champions crowned as Czechia's Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner and the USA's Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng emerged as winners at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships 2023 and booked their places at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Perusic and Schweiner, who had won Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour gold medals in Elite16 events in Uberlândia and Paris, stunned Sweden's second seeds and European champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, edging them out 2-1 (21-15, 17-21, 15-13) in a thrilling three-set final to win their first ever world title and book an early ticket to Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Their victory in the final played in a packed Tlaxcala venue, capped their meteoric run in the tournament that saw them eliminate defending champions and top seeds Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum 2-1 in the quarterfinals, beforeovercoming the USA’s Trevor Crabb and Theodore Brunner 2-0 in the semifinals.
The top three men’s teams during the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships awarding ceremony in Tlaxcala, Mexico
“It’s unreal, I really don’t know how to describe my feelings because I can’t quite understand them,” said Perusic.
“If I had to pick one word, it would be pride. I’m very proud of our entire team and everyone who contributed to our journey and who was by our side since the beginning. This is a huge accomplishment, not only for us, but for Czech beach volleyball and I’m really proud to give this to everyone back at home. It’s a dream coming true. We just want to enjoy the moment and we’ll plan a big celebration back home.”
Packed stadium enjoyed the action during the final of FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico
Poland’s Bartosz Łosiak and Michal Bryl, who lost 2-1 to Åhman and Hellvig in the semifinals, beat Crabb and Brunner 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) in the third-place playoff to settle for bronze and become the first Polish team to reach the podium at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships.
In the women’s final, Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes ended the USA’s 14-year wait for the world title when they dethroned defending champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos of Brazil (21-16, 24-22) in straight sets.
The last time the USA won the world title was in 2009, when April Ross and Jennifer Kessy triumphed in Stavanger, Norway. The Tlaxcala victory means the USA now holds five World Championship golds among its women’s team, trailing Brazil by just one.
The top three women teams during the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships awards ceremony in Tlaxcala, Mexico
"We just want to thank everybody that has helped us get here," said Hughes. "Our coaches, our trainers, our sponsors and our families. And also the Mexican fans, who made an amazing atmosphere here."
Brazil’s top seeds Ana Patricia and Duda had reached the final undefeated and without dropping a set which included a 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) sweep over Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho from Australia in the semifinals.
The USA’s second seeds Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss rallied from a set down to beat the Australian fifth seeds 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, 15-8) and claim bronze, securing the USA two spots on the podium for the first time since 1999.
Source : fivb.com
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