2018 in review: Double Russia gold at U19 World Champs

Maria Voronina and Mariia Bocharova, and Denis Shekunov and Dmitrii Veretiuk ensured double joy for Russia when they won women’s and men’s gold at the Nanjing 2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships.

By winning gold Voronina and Bocharova, and Shekunov and Veretiuk booked places at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

Russian teams won half the medals on offer after Alexey Gusev and Pavel Shustrov won bronze in the men’s competition.

The tournament ran for six days at Tangshan International Beach Sports Park and it was the 15th edition of a competition which was first held in Greece in 2002. It was the second consecutive year the Chinese city hosted an age-group tournament after they hosted the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships.

Voronina and Bocharova beat the Netherlands' Raisa Schoon and Emi van Driel 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-13), and it proved to be a precursor to a golden summer for the pair as they later added gold at the Youth Olympic Games and the CEV U20 European Championships.

Shekunov and Veretiuk beat Germany’s Lukas Pfretzschner and Filip John 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) to win men’s gold. Despite being aged 17 and 16 they also won U20 European gold and made their FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour debuts.

In the women’s bronze medal match Spain’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno prevailed 2-1 (10-21, 21-18, 15-12) over the United States’ Devon Newberry and Lindsey Sparks, while Gusev and Pavel Shustrov beat Argentina’s Mauro Zelayeta and Bautista Amieva 2-0 (21-18, 21-16).

Earlier in the tournament there were two major shocks in the men’s competition.

Indonesia’s Bintang Akbar and Danang Herlambang eliminated top seeds Liu Jinqiu and Tang Xingyu of China 2-0 (21-12, 21-14), while Thailand’s Phichakon Narathon and Phanupong Thanan’s beat Brazilian pair Gabriel Zuliani and Gabriel De Abreu Lima Pisco.

The 11th-seeded Thais defeated the second seeds 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) to join the Indonesian pair in the quarterfinals.