Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Duda Lisboa have won the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 4-star event in Gstaad, their last tournament before the Olympic Games.
In a gold medal match, they downed compatriots and fellow Olympians to-be Rebecca Cavalcanti and Ana Patricia Ramos in straight sets 2-0 (23-21, 21-18).
The victory gave the Brazilians their second gold medal in 2021, following their victory in the second event of the Cancun Hub in April. Agatha and Duda have won three more medals – one silver and two bronzes – in seven World Tour events played this year.
“This is so exciting. It’s our first gold here in Gstaad, a city that’s very beautiful and has one of the best atmospheres for us to play. It was a very emotional tournament and for us to win gold in the last tournament before Tokyo, it’s very special and means a lot,” says Duda.
“I have been chasing these cowbells since I first played here, in 2005, it’s been 16 years,” Agatha reflected. “We didn’t start the final well but all I was thinking about was playing my best game. Results are obviously important but winning or losing is part of the game, what I really can’t stand is leaving the court with the felling I didn’t play the best I could. I was focusing on my game and it worked out.”
Canadians Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes, the reigning world champions, also stepped on the podium after their 2-1 (21-13, 13-21, 17-15) win over Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka in the bronze medal match. It was the third medal won by Pavan and Humana-Paredes in 2021, alongside silvers in Doha and Cancun.
