Lausanne, Switzerland, July 12, 2020 - A total of 50 FIVB gold medals were awarded during the July 12-18 time period highlighted by the first of 10 titles for Norwegian beach volleyball sensations Anders Mol and Christian Sorum.
On July 14, 2018, Mol and Sorum posted a pair of wins to top the podium at the Gstaad Major by defeating Americans Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb 2-1 (18-21, 23-21, 16-14) in a 52-minute semifinal followed by a 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) win in 34 minutes over Spaniards Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera.
It was also the first of two gold medal finishes for the Norwegians in the Swiss Alps village as Mol and Sorum validated their 2018 success by defeating Dutchmen Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen 2-0 (21-17, 21-15) in a 34-minute gold medal match on July 13, 2019.
En route to the 2019 Gstaad crown, Mol and Sorum defeated Crabb and Gibb 2-1 (15-21, 21-11, 15-8) in an elimination second-round match. The two teams would meet again two months later at the FIVB World Tour Finals with the Norwegians posting a 2-0 (21-16, 21-15) bronze medal victory in 35 minutes.
The Rome appearance was Mol and Sorum's last appearance on the FIVB World Tour as the Norwegians finished the 2018-2019 season with a 66-5 match mark for 12 events with seven gold medals, eight final appearances and 10 podium placements.
In 30 career FIVB World Tour events, Mol and Sorum have compiled a 119-26 match mark with 88 wins in their last 96 matches. The Norwegians have 14 podium placements on the international circuit with a 10-2 record in gold medal match.
Of the 50 gold medals awarded during the July 12-18 period, 12 were presented at FIVB Age Category World Championships in 2002, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. Olympic medal winners Juliana Felisberta of Brazil (with Taiana Lima) and Herrera (with Raul Mesa) topped the podiums at the 2002 Under-21 World Championships on July 14 at Catania, Italy.
Taiana Lima (left) and Juliana Felisberta (right) of Brazil with Switzerland's Isabelle Forrer. The Brazilians defeated Forrer and Melanie Schonenberger for the 2002 FIVB U21 World Championship gold medal in Italy.
Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa captured two gold medals at age category world championships starting with a podium topping performance on July 14, 2013 with Taina Silva at the Under-19 event in Porto, Portugal on July 16, 2017 and with Ana Patrica Silva at the Under-21 tournament in Nanjing, China on July 16.
Clemens Wickler, a runner-up at the 2019 FIVB World Championship in Germany with Julius Thole, captured the gold medal at the 2013 Under-19 World Championships in Porto with Moritz Reichert. The Porto event marked Wickler’s first-ever appearance at an FIVB event.
Brazilians and Germans top podiums at 2019 FIVB Under-19 World Championships in Porto, Portugal with Americans, Dutch and Russians.
Juliana also won two FIVB World Tour events with Larissa Franca during the July 12-18 period as the Brazilians topped podiums in Moscow (July 18, 2009) and Berlin (July 15, 2012). The Berlin victory was the 44th of 45 World Tour gold medals for the pair with their final title win August 18, 2012 at Stare Jablonki, Poland.
Three-time Olympic and world champion Misty May-Treanor captured five gold medals during the July 12-18 time frame, including her second FIVB World Tour title with Holly McPeak on July 16, 2000 in Berlin. The other three May-Treanor victories were with Kerri Walsh Jennings at events in Montreal, Canada (July 13, 2002), Espinho, Portugal (July 16, 2005), Berlin (July 14, 2007) and Moscow, Russia (July 16, 2011).
Media interviews for Americans Misty May-Treanor (left) and Kerri Walsh Jennings after winning gold at Moscow 2011.
With May-Treanor being sidelined prior to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Walsh Jennings topped a July 18, 2004 podium with Rachel Scott. Walsh Jennings and Scott won a second title together two weeks later in 2004 at Klagenfurt, Austria.
Alison Cerutti of Brazil also captured four gold medals this week (July 12-18), including two with Emanuel Rego at events in Moscow (July 17, 2011) and Berlin (July 14, 2012). Alison and Bruno Oscar Schmidt topped a 2015 podium in Gstaad. The fourth Alison victory was an FIVB satellite win in 2008 (July 13) with Bernardo Romano.
Brazilian Evandro Goncalves is one of nine birthdays being celebrated by beach volleyball during the July 12-18 time frame. Evandro is currently seeking his second Olympic berth with Bruno as the hard-serving Brazilian celebrates his 30th birthday Friday (July 17). Evandro placed ninth at the Rio 2016 Summer with Pedro Solberg as the pair won only one of four three-set matches on Copacabana.
Brazilian Evandro Goncalves celebrates birthday No. 30 Friday
Other Olympians with birthdays this week are South African Leigh-Ann Naidoo (44 today), Germans Andreas Scheuerpflug (53 Monday) and Maike Friedrichsen (50 Saturday), Mexicans Joel Sotelo (50 Monday) and Hilda Gaxiola (48 Tuesday), Swiss Sebastian Chevallier (33 Tuesday), Estonian Rivo Vesik (40 Wednesday) and Puerto Rican Ramon Hernandez (48 Thursday).
Scheuerpflug placed fifth at the Athens 2004 Summer Games with Christoph Dieckmann after finishing 19th at Sydney with Oliver Oetke. Friedrichsen, who is married to Olympian Markus Dieckmann, placed ninth at the Sydney 2000 Olympics with Danja Musch.
Andreas Scheuerpflug (left) and Christoph Dieckmann of Germany captured the bronze medal at the 2004 Klagenfurt event
Sotelo and Juan Rodriguez Ibarra finished ninth at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and upset top-seeded Julien Prosser and Lee Zahner of Australia in the first round. Gaxiola placed 19th at both the Sydney and Athens Summer Games with Teresa Galindo (2000) and Mayra Garcia (2004).
Naidoo and Julia Willand were the first of two South African women's teams to compete in the Olympics as the pair placed 19th at the Athens 2004 Summer Games. Hernandez (with Raul Papaleo) and Vesik (with Kristjan Kais) placed 19th at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, respectively. Chevallier and Sascha Heyer finished ninth at the London 2012 Summer Games.
Here are the gold medal winners at FIVB events during the July 12-18 time period.
July 12
In 2009, Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany won the Gstaad Grand Slam. It was the third of five FIVB World tour wins for the team.
In 2015, Alison and Bruno won the Gstaad Major. It was the third of 12 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
Bruno Oscar Schmidt (left) and Alison Cerutti of Brazil after winning gold at the 2015 Gstaad Major.
July 13
In 2002, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the Montreal Open. It was the fourth of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2008, Alison and Bernardo won the Lausanne Satellite. It was the second of three FIVB wins for the team.
In 2014, Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal of the United States won the Gstaad Grand Slam. It was the fifth of six FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2014, Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler of Germany won the Gstaad Grand Slam. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2019, Mol and Sorum won the Gstaad Major. It was the eighth of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler of Germany after winning the 2014 Gstaad Grand Slam.
July 14
In 2002, Jose Loiola and Ricardo Santos of Brazil won the Montreal Open. It was the third of five FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2002, Herrera and Mesa won the FIVB Under-21 World Championships at Catania, Italy. It was the first of two FIVB wins for the team.
In 2002, Juliana and Taiana won the FIVB Under-21 World Championships at Catania, Italy. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2007, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the FIVB Smart Grand Slam in Berlin. It was the 27th of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2012, Alison and Emanuel Rego won the Berlin Grand Slam. It was the seventh of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2012, Michal Bryl and Kacper Kujawiak of Poland won the FIVB Under-21 World Championship at Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the first of two FIVB wins for the team.
In 2012, Ieva Dumbauskaite and Monika Povilaityte of Lithuania won the FIVB Under-21 World Championship at Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the first FIVB win for the team.
The men's and women's podium at the 2012 FIVB Under-21 World Championships at Larnaka, Cyprus
In 2013, Alvaro Filho and Ricardo won the Gstaad Grand Slam. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2013, Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China won the Gstaad Grand Slam. It was the 15th and final FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2013, Reichert and Wickler won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships in Porto, Portugal. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2013, Duda and Taina won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships in Porto, Portugal. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2018, Mol and Sorum won the Gstaad Major. It was the first of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2019, Alix Klineman and April Ross of the United States won the Gstaad Major. It was the fourth of four FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2019, Alexandra Moiseeva and Ekaterina Syrtseva of Russia won the Daegu Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2019, Raisa Schoon and Emi van Driel of the Netherlands won the Alba Adriatica Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
The 2019 Alba Adriatica Open podium with Dutch and Italian players
July 15
In 1999, Caterina De Marinis and Cilene Nascimento of Italy won the Porto San Giorgio Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2001, Mariano Baracetti and Martin Conde of Argentina won the Lignano Open. It was the first of four FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2001, Dmitri Barsouk and Vladimir Kostioukov of Russia won the Beirut Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2007, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz Magalhaes of Brazil won the Berlin Grand Slam. It was the 10th of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2007, Michal Kadziola and Jakub Szalankiewicz of Poland won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships in Myslowice. It was the first of two FIVB wins for the team.
In 2007, Danielle Remmers and Michelle Stiekema of the Netherlands won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships in Myslowice. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2012, Juliana and Larissa won the Berlin Grand Slam. It was the 44th of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2018, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan of Canada won the Gstaad Major. It was the third of six FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2018, Phoebe Bell and Jessyka Ngauamo of Australia won the Daegu Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2018, Denis Shekunov and Dmitrii Veretiuk of Russia won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships at Nanjing. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2018, Mariia Bocharova and Maria Voronina Russia won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships at Nanjing. It was the first of three FIVB wins for the team.
Winning Russian teams with coaches and support staff at the 2018 FIVB Under-19 World Championships at Nanjing
July 16
In 1995, Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno of the United States won the Hermosa Beach Open. It was the first of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2000, May-Treanor and McPeak won the Berlin Open. It was the second of three FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2000, Ze Marco de Melo and Ricardo won the Lignano Open. It was the ninth of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2005, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the Espinho Open. It was the 17th of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2006, Leila Barros and Ana Paula Henkel of Brazil won the Montreal Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2006, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz won the Montreal Open. It was the fifth of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2011, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the Moscow Grand Slam. It was the 37th of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2017, Miki Ishii and Megumi Murakami of Japan won the Daegu Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2017, Adrielson Dos Santos and Renato Lima of Brazil won the FIVB Under-21 World Championships at Nanjing. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2017, Duda and Ana Patricia Silva won the FIVB Under-21 World Championships at Nanjing. It was the third of three FIVB wins for the team.
Happy podium placers and staff at VB Under-21 World Championships at Nanjing
July 17
In 2005, Julius Brink and Kjell Schneider of Germany won the Espinho Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
In 2005, Alex Acco and Luizao Correa of Brazil won the Rimini Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
In 2011, Alison and Emanuel won the Moscow Grand Slam. It was the fifth of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
Moscow 2011 gold medal winners Alison Cerutti (left) and Emanuel Rego of Brazil
July 18
In 1999, Loiola and Emanuel won the Lignano Open. It was the seventh of 15 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2004, Rachel Scott and Walsh Jennings won the Marseille Grand Slam. It was the first of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2004, Marcio Araujo and Benjamin Insfran won the Marseille Grand Slam. It was the seventh of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2009, Juliana and Larissa won the Moscow Grand Slam. It was the 24th of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
Kerri Walsh Jennings (left) and Rachel Scott captured gold at Klagenfurt in 2004