Jakub Krzeminski and Szymon Pietraszek won the FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships last Sunday (September 1) having won all nine of their games from the qualifiers to the final. Throughout these nine matches, the Polish duo only lost three sets.
However, the Latvian side of Karlis Jaundzeikars and Matiss Salkovskis didn’t make things easy for Jakub and Szymon in the final, with the Polish winning each of the sets with narrow margins. This made the gold medal match of this competition, which was held in Shangluo, China, entertaining. In the end, the Poles won 2-0 (25-23, 21-19)
The performance of the Polish duo definitely makes them ones to watch, especially as they move up the age category ranks. Given how popular it now is to bet on niche sports such as volleyball, their names will likely appear in bookmakers’ odds soon. The fast-paced and unpredictable nature of volleyball makes it the perfect sport for sharp betting, which is when a sportsbook updates its odds minute-by-minute to better reflect the nature of the game as it is being played. Mathematics is utilized to alter odds based on the live performance of players and the betting market activity.
Chirag Dubey, who has created a list of the sharpest sportsbooks, states that this type of betting platform caters to a far greater range of betting markets than standard wagering sites. This ensures that you can find the most competitive odds for niche sports such as volleyball.
Krzeminski and Pietraszek will no doubt soon become popular names among bookmakers. They only debuted together as a pair in June this year, when they took home silver at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour.
Last week’s competition marked the fifth time Poland had won the U19s competition. However, Poland hasn’t claimed the title in recent years, with the last victory taking place in 2012. Following the final, Krzeminski stated that he and Pietraszek had been training for this final for months. He also stated that the team’s one goal for 2024 was to win this competition.
The Latvian side also only recently debuted as a doubles team, having first played together in a competition during last year’s CEV European Championships. They also took home silver at this competition.
The win for Krzeminski and Pietraszek coincides with Poland’s beach volleyball resurgence. Last year, Poland won their first Volleyball Nations Nations League (VNL) title while also playing host to the competition in Gdańsk.
Not only is the Polish national team performing exceptionally well, but both national and team matches are attracting huge crowds throughout the country. This has seen a rise in sponsorship deals between brands and volleyball clubs. The rights and sponsorship market of Polish volleyball is currently worth PLN 450 – 500 million ($116 – 129 million).
Currently, football remains the most lucrative sport in Poland in terms of sponsorship. However, volleyball is currently in second place.
Following Poland’s victory in the VNL last year, the country was ranked number one in the world.
