Ukrainians Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko returned to the top of the podium on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour after seven months on Sunday, when they triumphed in the Challenge event held in Warmia Mazury.

The two stood at the top of the all-European podium at Anders Hotel Beach, having second-placed Germans Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann and third-placed French Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau by their side.

• Watch Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge replays on VBTV

Undefeated throughout their six matches in Poland this week, the 32-year-old Hladun and the 21-year-old Lazarenko played their first tie-breaker in the gold medal match, where they came back from a first-set loss to beat Bock and Lippmann 2-1 (19-21, 21-14, 15-11) and take the title.

It was the third Beach pro Tour title won by the Ukrainians since they became partners, in 2023, and their second victory in a Challenge event – they were the winners in Chennai, last November. Arguably the top Ukrainian team competing internationally, Hladun and Lazarenko now have six medals in 15 Beach Pro Tour events across all categories. Their first title was also earned in Poland, as they won the 2023 Futures event held in Warsaw in just their second event as partners.

“We like to play in Poland because it’s really close to our country and the people are always really nice to us,” Hladun said. “They support us so much.”

The appearance in the Warmia Mazury final rewarded Bock and Lippmann with their first Beach Pro Tour medals as partners. Both of them moved to the sand after playing indoor volleyball for several years, with Lippmann making the transition in 2022 and representing Germany at last year’s Paris Olympics and Bock having moved just a few months ago.

Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge – Match Schedule & Results

French Olympians win back-to-back bronzes

In the bronze medal match, Vieira and Chamereau swept (21-18, 21-18) Americans Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg, securing the last spot on the podium.

“Putting the semifinal loss behind us wasn’t easy,” Vieira said. “We were sad last night, but we did a good job of talking about it. We saw good things in our semifinal match, too, and managed to get the energy back for today.”

It was the second-straight bronze medal won by the French Olympians in Challenge events, as they ranked third in Alanya just two weeks ago.

The next Challenge event on the 2025 Beach Pro Tour calendar will be held in Brazil, from September 3-9. Next week, an Elite tournament will take place in Gstaad, Switzerland.

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