Lausanne, Switzerland, July 26, 2020 - Two of the most recognisable names celebrated birthdays and championship finishes this week in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history as 82 gold medals for 16 countries were awarded during the July 26-August 1 time-frame.
Misty May-Treanor of the United States and Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa of Brazil combined to win five events during this week in international history. May-Treanor turns 43 on Thursday and Duda 22 on Saturday.
The reigning FIVB World Tour Most Outstanding Player after winning the award the past two seasons, Duda and Agatha Bednarczuk captured the Tokyo Olympic test event last year on July 29.
A day before her 18th birthday in 2016, Duda and Victoria Lopes captured the FIVB Under 21-World Championships in Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the seventh of 13 FIVB gold medals for Duda, who has topped World Tour podiums seven times and claimed six Age-Category World Championship crowns with seven different partners.
May-Treanor, who was recognized in 2005 and 2008 as the FIVB World Tour Most Outstanding Player, teamed with Kerri Walsh Jennings to win the inaugural Paris Grand Slam in 2005 on her 28th birthday. Two days prior to her birthday, May-Treanor also won gold medals with Walsh Jennings in 2001 and 2007.
The 2001 title on her 24th birthday was May-Treanor’s first FIVB World Tour gold medal with Walsh Jennings in Espinho, Portugal. Six years later prior to her 30th birthday, May-Treanor topped the 2007 FIVB World Championship podium with Walsh Jennings in Gstaad, Switzerland.
A 13-season veteran on the FIVB World tour (1999-2008, 2010-2012), May-Treanor finished with 43 gold medals in 99 appearances highlighted by Olympic crowns in 2004, 2008 and 2012 and world titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Her 86.4 per cent match winning percentage (541-85) is the best all-time for both women and men.
Misty May-Treanor with her London 2012 Olympic gold medal
Other Olympians celebrating birthdays this week are American Jen Kessy (43 Friday), China's Rong Chi (44 today) and Latvian Janis Smedins (33 Friday). Both Kessy (silver with April Ross) and Smedins (bronze with Martins Plavins) placed on the podium at the London 2012 Summer Games with Chi placing ninth at the Sydney 20002 Olympics with Zi Xiong.
While Chi only earned one FIVB World Tour medal in her five-season career, Kessy and Smedins appeared in 60 World Tour podium placements and 24 gold medals. While Kessy won her 10 FIVB gold medals with Ross, Smedins captured 13 World Tour crowns with Aleksandrs Samoilovs and one title with Plavins.
Janis Smedins (green top #2) and Jen Kessy (second from right with sunglasses) on the same podium in 2013 at Durban, South Africa.
Of the 82 gold medals awarded during the July 26-August 1 period, Brazilians topped 31 podiums and Americans as many as 23, highlighted by Olympic championships by Sandra Pires/Jackie Silva and Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Games.
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers joined May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings atop the World Championship podiums this week in beach volleyball history at the Gstaad 2007 event. Six Age-Category World Championship titles were decided this week by pairs from Brazil, Canada, Poland and the United States.
Three Goodwill Games gold medals were also decided during the July 26-August period as Norwegians Jan Kvalheim/Bjorn Maaseide and Americans Karolyn Kirby/Liz Masakayan were the 1994 winners on July 28 on the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Past and present Norwegian greats (left to right) - Jan Kvalhelm, Anders Mol, Christian Sorum and Bjorn Masseide at the 2019 Hamburg FIVB World Championships.
'Para' Ferreira and Guilherme Marques validated their 1997 World Championship title by capturing the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medal in New York’s Central Park by defeating Adam Johnson and Kiraly in the finals on July 26.
Here is a list of gold medal winners during the July 26-August 1 time frame:
July 26
•In 1995, Roberto Lopes and Franco Neto of Brazil won the Pusan Open. It was the sixth of 13 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1997, Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil won the Marseille Open. It was the third of 31 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1998, 'Para' and Guilherme won the Goodwill Games in New York. It was the fifth of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1998, Ze Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil won the Marseille Open. It was the second of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2008, Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Henkel won the Gstaad Grand Slam 2008. It was the second of three FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2009, Jennifer Kessy and April Ross of the United States won the Marseille Grand Slam. It was the fifth of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2009, Dalhausser and Rogers won the Marseille Grand Slam. It was the seventh of 23 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2013, Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima of Brazil won the Long Beach Grand Slam. It was the fourth of five FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2015, Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil won the Yokohama Grand Slam. It was the fourth of 12 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2015, Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany won the Yokohama Grand Slam. It was the second of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for team.
Laura Ludwig leads the podium placers at the 2015 Yokohama Grand Slam
July 27
•In 1996, Sandra and Jackie won the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. It was the eight of 12 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1997, 'Para' and Guilherme won the Marseille Open. It was the second of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2003, Emanuel Rego and Ricardo won the Espinho Open. It was the third of 33 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2008, Harley Marques and Pedro Solberg of Brazil won the Gstaad Grand Slam 2008. It was the seventh of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2008, Natalja Bratuhhina and Mari-Liis Graumann of Estonia won the Gdansk Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2013, Ekaterina Birlova and Evgeniya Ukolova of Russia won the Anapa Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2013, Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal won the Long Beach Grand Slam. It was the third of six FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2014, Ross and Walsh Jennings won the Long Beach Grand Slam. It was the sixth of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2014, Michal Bryl and Kacper Kujawiak of Poland won the FIVB Under 21 World Championships in Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the second of two FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2014, Dalhausser and Rosenthal won the Long Beach Grand Slam. It was the sixth and FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2014, Sophie Bukovec and Tiadora Miric of won the FIVB Under-21 World Championships in Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
The FIVB Under-21 World Championship podium in 2014 with players from Canada, France, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and the United States
July 28•In 1991, John Eddo and Leif Hanson of the United States won the Cap d'Agde Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 1994, Kvalheim and Maaseide won the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg. It was the second of seven wins for the team.
•In 1994, Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan won the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg. It was the third and final win for the team.
•In 1996, Kiraly and Steffes won the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. It was the only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2001, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the Espinho Open. It was the first of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2002, Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs of the United States won the Rhodes Open. It was the third of six FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2002, Jefferson Bellaguarda and Juca Dultra of Brazil won the Kiev Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2002, Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong of the United States won the Espinho Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2007, Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler of Germany won the Geroskipou Challenger. It was the second of four FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2007, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the 2007 FIVB World Championships in Gstaad. It was 28th of 40 FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2013, Yaroslav Koshkarev and Konstantin Semenov of Russia won the Anapa Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2019, Agatha and "Duda" won the Tokyo Open. It was the fifth of five FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2019, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway won the Tokyo Open. It was the ninth of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2019, Maksim Hudyakov and Igor Velichko of Russia won the Pinarella di Cervia Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
July 29
•In 1990, Andre Lima and Guilherme of Brazil won the Sete Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 1995, McPeak and Nancy Reno won the FIVB Japan Open. It was the third of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2000, Masakayan and Youngs won the Espinho Open. It was the second of three FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2001, Jose Loiola and Ricardo won the Espinho Open. It was the first of five FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2001, Thomas Klepper and Murilo Toscano of Brazil won the Kiev Challenger. It was the second of three FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2006, Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca of Brazil won the Paris Grand Slam. It was the 12th of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2006, Tereza Petrova and Hana Skalnikova of the Czech Republic won the Atlantida Beach Challenger. It was the second of two FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2007, Bruno de Paula and Benjamin Insfran of Brazil won the Geroskipou Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2007, Dalhausser and Rogers won the 2007 FIVB World Championship in Gstaad. It was the second of 23 FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2018, Carolina Ferraris and Francesca Michieletto Italy won the Samsun Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2018, Donovan Dzavoronok and Jindrich Weiss of the Czech Republic won the Samsun Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2018, Esteban and Marco Grimalt of Chile won the FIVB Tokyo Three Star. It was the first of three FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2018, Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth of Italy won the Agadir Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2018, Ruslan Bykanov and Hudyakov won the Agadir Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2018, Teresa Mersmann and Cinja Tillmann of Germany won the Tokyo Open. It was the second of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
July 30
•In 1989, Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos of the United States won the Jesi Open. It was the third of 10 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1992, Paulao Moreira and Paulo Emilio Silva of Brazil won the Enoshima Open. It was the first of five FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2000, Ze Marco and Ricardo won the Espinho Open. It was the 11th and final FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2005, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won the Paris Grand Slam. It was the 18th of 40 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2006, Emiel Boersma and Mathijs Mast of the Netherlands won the FIVB Cyprus Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2006, Hannes Brinkborg and Mattias Magnusson of Sweden won the Casablanca Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2006, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz Magalhaes of Brazil won the Paris Grand Slam. It was the seventh of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2011, Juliana and Larissa won the Stare Jablonki Grand Slam. It was the 41st of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2016, Ludwig and Walkenhorst won the Klagenfurt Major. It was the seventh of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2017, Vitor Felipe and George Wanderley of Brazil won the Espinho Open. It was the first and only FIVB World Tour win for the team.
July 31
•In 1994, Kvalheim and Maaseide won the Marseille Open. It was the third of seven FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1995, Roberto Lopes and Franco won the Enoshima Open. It was the sixth of 13 FIVB World Tour sins for the team.
•In 2004, Rachel Scott and Walsh Jennings won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. It was the second and final FIVB World Tour win for the team.
•In 2005, Eugenio Amore and Riccardo Fenili of Italy won the Palinuro Satellite. It was the second of three FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2005, Mykola Babich and Oleg Nikolaev of the Ukraine won the Kiev Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB wins for the team.
•In 2005, Patrick Heuscher and Stefan Kobel of Switzerland won Paris Grand Slam. It was the second of three FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2005, Svitlana Baburina and Galyna Osheyko of Ukraine won the Palinuro Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2010, Juliana and Larissa won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. It was the 34th of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2011, Dalhausser and Rogers won the Stare Jablonki Grand Slam. It was the 21st of 23 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2016, Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins of Latvia won the Klagenfurt Major. It was the ninth of 13 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2016, Duda and Victoria won the FIVB Under-19 World Championships at Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2016, Renato Lima and Rafael Mendonca of Brazil won the FIVB Under 19-World Championships at Larnaka, Cyprus. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
The 2016 Under-19 World Championship podium with American, Brazilians, Dutch Latvians and Swiss players.
August 1
•In 1993, Roberto Lopes and Franco won the Enoshima Open. It was the first of 13 FIVB World Tour wins for team.
•In 1999, Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan of the United States won the Espinho Open. It was the first of two FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 1999, Christian Bigler and Marcel Gscheidle of Switzerland won the FIVB Switzerland Satellite. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 1999, Jose Loiola and Emanuel won the Klagenfurt Open. It was the ninth of 15 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2004, Emanuel and Ricardo won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. It was the 11th of 33 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2004, Janis Grinbergs and Andris Krumins of Latvia won the Kiev Challenger. It was the first and only FIVB win for the team.
•In 2009, Juliana and Larissa won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. It was the 25th of 45 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2010, Jane Croson and Summer Ross of the United States won the FIVB Under-19 World Championship in Porto, Portugal. It was the first and only FIVB win for team.
•In 2010, Dalhausser and Rogers won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. It was the 14th of 23 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
•In 2010, Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak of Poland won the FIVB Under-19 World Championship in Porto, Portugal. It was the first of five FIVB wins for the team.
The 2010 Under-19 World Championship podium with presenters and players from Australia, Germany, Poland, Russia and the United States.