Reigning Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig will appear in a Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge event for the first time in over two years this week, when the Swedish stars will compete in Warmia Mazury, Poland.

The fourth Challenge tournament of the 2025 season will be held at Anders Hotel Beach between Wednesday and Sunday and will feature some of the top teams in the world in both genders.

• Watch the Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge live on VBTV

The 23-year-old Åhman and Hellvig last played in a Challenge event in March 2023, when they ranked ninth in La Paz, Mexico. The third-best team in the FIVB World Rankings, the Swedish recently appeared in a Futures event in their home sand Malmö, ranking fourth after they forfeited their last two matches.

The Olympic champions have been extremely successful at the highest level of the Beach Pro Tour, having won 15 medals (nine golds, five silver, one bronze) in 19 Elite events since 2023.

The Swedish will, however, face strong competition this week in Poland. One of their main challengers will be the home duo of Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak, who will try to top the podium in front of their home fans.

Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge – Men’s Entry List

Germans Clemens Wickler and Nils Ehlers, who faced Åhman and Hellvig in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics last year, will also be in action in this weekend’s event. The two had a difficult start to their season, finishing 19^th at both the Saquarema and the Ostrava Elite events, but showed signs of progress two weeks ago, when they finished ninth in the Alanya Challenge.

Another attraction of the men’s tournament in Poland will be the last international appearance of Latvian legend Aleksandrs Samoilovs. The 40-year-old, three-time Olympian was absent from international competition for over a year before playing in a Futures event in his home sand Jurmala two weeks ago, finishing second. Partner Gustavs Auzins and him were awarded a wild card and will start in the main draw in Samoilovs' last event on the Beach Pro Tour.

Americans seeded first among the women

The women’s event in Warmia Mazury will have Americans Kimberly Hildreth and Teegan Van Gunst as the top-seeded duo. The two made a semifinal appearance at the Challenge level this season, finishing fourth in the season-opening Yucatán Challenge, but are still looking for a medal in 2025.

Brazilians Vitória Rodrigues and Hegeile ‘Hege’ Almeida will also be strong candidates to take the title in Poland this week. Partners since 2024, the two have been very close to winning their first medal on the Beach Pro Tour, having finished fourth once and fifth four times in the last 18 months.

Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge – Women’s Entry List

Canadian Olympians Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec will also play in Poland this week. After a long period of absence on the Beach Pro Tour, the two returned to action two weeks ago, ranking 17^th at the Alanya Challenge.

Beach Pro Tour Warmia Mazury Challenge – Match Schedule

The tournament in Poland will start on Wednesday, when 30 men’s and 26 women’s teams will compete for the last eight main draw spots in each gender in the qualifier. Pool play will go from Thursday to Friday, when the Round of 24 and the women’s Round of 16 matches will be held.

The elimination rounds will continue on Saturday, when the men’s Round of 16, the quarterfinals for both genders and the women’s semifinals will take place. Sunday’s schedule will begin with the men’s semifinals, continue with the women’s medal matches and end with the men’s gold and bronze medal matches.

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