Third international gold in a row for Åhman/Hellvig
11.09.2023 - Rotterdam
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In Rotterdam, four local duos managed to earn a spot on the podium, but the young Swedes once again stood out.
Swedish youngsters Åhman/Hellvig once again show their dominance on the court: four Dutch teams were in the men's final and yet the swedish jumpset managed to prevail, winning their third international competition in a row after achieving similar successes in Hamburg and Vienna. This also made them the first team to be crowned Kings of the Court for a third time. Second and third place went to the Dutch duos Immers/van de Velde and Brouwer/Meeuwsen, who gave their all in front of a thunderous crowd in their home country.
Thanks to the energy of the home crowd, the home duo Stam/Schoon, currently sixth on the world ranking, also secured first place in the women's competition. With Brecht Piersma and Emi van Driel in second place, another spot on the podium went to a Dutch team. Third place went to the surprise American duo Quiggle/Murphy, who brilliantly defeated Swiss beach stars Joana Mäder and Anouk Vergé-Dépré.
Last game for Samoilovs/Smedins
This match was also the last time Latvian beach legends Janis Smedins and Aleksandrs "The Lion King" Samoilovs played together after an impressive eleven years on court as a team. Smedins, a two-time Olympian and bronze medalist in London, formed a formidable duo together with the Lion King, who himself competed in the Olympics three times. Together they became European champions in 2015 and finished second in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. They were also strong in their home country, becoming Latvian champions a total of five times. Their incredible journey on the sand has left its mark on the world of beach volleyball and will certainly be remembered.
