The world’s best players will gather once again at one of beach volleyball’s biggest stages at Hamburg for the Beach Pro Tour from August 16-20.

Fans should look forward to the biggest names, the hottest new stars and the extremely talented athletes being showcased in this Elite16 tournament.

These stars are self-confident and bold but are quite different from one another and have an incredible appeal to fans of all ages. They are adored not only for their style and looks, but for their incredible talent, courage, and energy on the court.

Mariafe Artacho Del Solar (AUS)

The 25-year-old Australian stands at 1.75 metres tall. For a beach volleyball athlete, she may not have the biggest threat at the net, but Mariafe is more adept at handling physical challenges on the court and an absolute threat on defense. She has played with partner Taliqua Clancy since 2017 and together they have earned an Olympic silver, a World Championship bronze at Hamburg 2019, 12 World Tour medals; and a gold, two silver medals and four bronze medals at the Beach Pro Tour.

Andre Stein (BRA)

He was the youngest player to win gold at the Beach Volleyball World Championships back in 2017 in Vienna with his then partner Evandro. The towering 28-year-old blocker has been playing with George Wanderley since 2017 and the pair has won a World Championship bronze, four World Tour medals; and three gold medals, one silver medal and three bronze medals at the Beach Pro Tour.

Carol Solberg (BRA)

The late Isabel Salgado had great influence on her children, namely Maria Clara, Carol and Pedro, who all had their fair share of successes in the sport. The 35-year-old Carol has been playing with Barbara Seixas since 2021 and the duo has won a World Tour medal; and four gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal at the Beach Pro Tour.

Adrian Carambula (ITA)

He has one of the most intimidating techniques in beach volleyball. He is known as Mr Skyball for his unique serving style, but the 32-year-old is also known for his defensive skills. The two-time Olympian teamed-up again with Alex Ranghieri. Together they have collected three Beach Pro Tour medals since 2022, including one Challenger silver in Torquay and three Elite16 bronze medals in Torquay, Doha and Montreal.

Brandie Wilkerson (CAN)

She was a former volleyball player who made a successful switch to beach volleyball. She teamed-up with Heather Bansley and had a breakout year in 2018 and closed the season ranked first in the World Tour; she also partnered with Sophie Bukovec whom she won a World Championship silver medal with. Four years later, Brandie partnered with Melissa Humana-Paredes and these two have made it to the quarterfinals of each of the six Beach Pro Tour events they have played in, progressing to win bronze at Elite16 Ostrava and gold at Challenge Jurmala and Elite16 Montreal.

Anders Mol (NOR)

At age 26, Anders Mol has won everything with partner Christian Sorum, from the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, the World Tour and the Beach Pro Tour. He gave Norway its first beach volleyball gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Since 2017, Mol/Sorum has dominated the World Tour, tallying 14 gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals. In the last season of the Beach Pro Tour, they collected four gold medals and three bronze medals. This season, they have an even count of medals – three gold and three silver medals – including the latest gold at the Elite16 Montreal.

Laura Ludwig (GER)

Laura Ludwig is a legend in beach volleyball in her country, winning them a gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics and the Vienna 2017 World Championships together with Kira Walkenhorst. After taking a hiatus to become a parent, she returned with a big statement, winning the World Tour Finals in 2022 with Margareta Kozuch. She now plays with another German star, Louisa Lippmann, and the pair is making progress as they made the quarterfinal in their last tournament at the Challenge Edmonton. Expect Laura and Louisa will be one of the home crowd favorites at Hamburg.

David Ahman (SWE)

At age 21, he and his partner Jonatan Hellvig have already made a name for themselves and have perfected a technique called the Swedish jump set. He has won every age-group category at the continental and world levels, including the Youth Olympic Games. He has three top podium finishes at the Beach Pro Tour, including the Elite16 Tepic gold. He also has two runners-up and one third-place finishes from 2022 to present.

Sara Hughes (USA)

She was a top recruit for beach volleyball in high school who played for the USC Trojans, one of the best programs for both disciplines in the United States. She partnered with USA libero Justin Wong-Orantes at the U19 World Championship. She partnered with Kelly Claes, née Cheng, from 2013-2018, then played with Summer Ross from 2018-2019 and several others after that. She decided to reunite with former partner Kelly in 2022 and since then has been to the podium five times, including winning both the Challenge and Elite16 in Torquay, the Beach Pro Tour Finals in Doha and the Elite16 in Tepic, and silver medal in Gstaad.

Miles Partain (USA)

Twenty-one-year-old Miles Partain knows how to direct plays, having played volleyball at UCLA. Since turning professional in beach volleyball, the young American player has shown impressive form. And recently, he and his partner Andy Benesh stunned Olympic champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum at the Elite16 Gstaad tournament last month. They met again at the final of the Elite16 Montreal, but the Americans conceded this time. They also won gold at Challenge Dubai last year and bronze at Elite16 Ostrava this year.

Get ready to feel the power of the Beach Pro Tour in Hamburg! Get 15% OFF on tickets!

• Individual Pass
• Tournament Pass
• Weekend Pass
• Saturday Pass
• Sunday Pass

Quick links:
Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour 2023
VBTV
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter