For Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, Brazil’s Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa and Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, the extravagant Swiss town of Gstaad is their common ground for success.
Elite16 - Gstaad, SUI - 2023
The World’s Wonders in Gstaad
The top beach volleyball duos will gather once again in luxurious Swiss resort town Gstaad for the Elite 16
Published 01:41, 05 Jul 2023
As the top two ranked teams in the men’s and women’s Elite 16 main draw of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, each pair has at least one triumphant memory in the beach volleyball domain of Switzerland.
Let’s take a look at their success history in Gstaad that shows why they are the top contenders again for the podium.
Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (NOR)
The reigning Olympic and world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum have won back-to-back gold medals in Gstaad 5-star in 2018 and 2019. Between these two Gstaad tournaments, the Norwegian pair made a spectacular winning run, collecting seven gold medals, a silver and a bronze medal. In their most recent stint in Gstaad, the pair reached the semifinals, but missed the podium at the Elite 16 tournament in 2022.
Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan (QAT)
Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan finished second in the podium of the Gstaad 4-star in 2021 after losing to Dutch duo Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot. They kept their momentum going and were rewarded for their efforts with another medal – an Olympic bronze in Tokyo. They also saw action at the Elite 16 tournament in Gstaad last year but exited after the Round of 16.
Ana Patricia Ramos / Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa (BRA)
Current world champions Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa have won the 2022 Elite 16 tournament in Gstaad, beating their compatriots Barbara Seixas and Carol Solberg in the final. Both players also achieved to win medals in Gstaad with different partners. Ana Patricia won bronze at the Gstaad 5-star with Rebecca and silver at the Gstaad 4-star, where they lost to Duda and Agatha Bednarczuk.
Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy (AUS)
Olympic silver medalists Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy played four times in Gstaad prior to copping bronze medal in last year’s Elite 16. The Australian duo defeated Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina in the thrilling tiebreaker.
Catch these four top beach volleyball pairs and more of the world’s best teams at the Beach Pro Tour in Gstaad from July 6 to 9.
