Portugal rejoiced as their 24-year long wait for a gold medal in international beach volleyball ended. The spotlight fell on João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, the winning duo of the Men’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Edmonton Challenge. This landmark victory saw them clinch the title amidst fierce competition at the Fan Park in Canada, sharing the podium with Norway’s Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen who came second, and Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava taking the third spot.
The Portuguese duo showcased their dominance with a convincing 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) win against Mol and Berntsen in the final match. Nicolai and Cottafava cemented their place on the podium, defeating Brazilians Pedro Solberg and Gustavo ‘Guto’ Carvalhaes 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) in the battle for bronze.
On the women’s front, Brazilian powerhouses Bárbara Seixas and Carol Salgado were unstoppable, securing the championship at the Edmonton Challenge. This win came a week after their remarkable performance at the Espinho Challenge in Portugal. The duo found themselves atop the podium again at the Fan Park, edging out Italian pair Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi, who took second place, and the Czech Republic’s Barbora Hermannová and Marie-Sara Štochlová who secured the third spot.
The formidable Brazilian duo triumphed in the gold medal match, defeating Menegatti and Gottardi 2-0 (21-14, 21-16). Hermannová and Štochlová earned their first podium appearance on the Beach Pro Tour 2023, winning a nail-biting three-set (17-21, 26-24, 15-13) bronze medal match against Swiss duo Zoé Vergé-Dépré and Esmée Böbner.
