Two years ago, Aliaksandr Dziadkou and Pavel Piatrushka captured Belarus’ first-ever gold medal on the World Tour to highlight this week in FIVB beach volleyball history.
The win on December 2, 2018, at an FIVB event in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana was the first of 10 World Tour appearances for the Dziadkou/Piatrushka partnership as the pair topped a second international podium four-plus months later in Göteborg, Sweden.
With a third podium placement during the 2018-2019 FIVB season in Latvia at Jurmala, Dziadkou and Piatrushka have compiled a 27-12 World Tour match mark together. The pair's only recorded event in 2020 was 17th at the European Championships in September at Jurmala where Dziadkou and Piatrushka posted an upset win over Italians Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai in pool play.
Also topping a December 2, 2018 podium in Ljubljana was Vasiliki Arvaniti and Penny Karagkouni as the Greek pair won their first of two World Tour gold medals. The Ljubljana gold was only the second World Tour title for women or men from Greece as Arvaniti and Vasso Karadassiou captured the first win in 2005 at Stavanger, Norway.
Greek glee for Penny Karagkouni and Vasiliki Arvaniti.Two-plus months later in Cambodia, Arvaniti and Karagkouni captured Greece’s third gold medal in Phnom Penh on February 24. A fourth Greek gold was captured by Dimitra Manavi in Konstantina Tsopoulou on June 16, 2019, at Ios, Greece.
Four beach volleyball Olympians celebrate birthdays this week, including two-time Dutch participant Madelein Meppelink, who turns 31 today. Meppelink, a two-time World Tour winner, competed in the London 2012 (Sophie van Gestel) and Rio 2016 (Marleen van Iersel) Summer Games where she placed ninth both times.
The Netherlands Madelein Meppelink serving the Mikasa.Meppelink is seeking her third Olympic appearance with Sanne Keizer as the pair captured the gold medal at the 2018 European Championships in The Hague and claimed a bronze medal in their last FIVB World Tour event last November in Chetumal, Mexico.
Celebrating her 46th birthday Tuesday is Norway’s Susanne Glesnes, who placed 17th and ninth with Kathrine Maaseide at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, respectively. Glesnes and Maaseide rank at ninth all-time in women’s FIVB participations with 103 events together.
Susanne Glesnes (right) and Kathrine Maaseide of Norway celebrate.Bibiana Candelas of Mexico and Wang Jie of China, a pair of Beijing 2008 Olympic participants, have birthdays Wednesday (turning 37) and Friday (35), respectively. A four-time World tour winner, Wang placed second at the Beijing Summer Games with Tian Jia with a three-set pool win over Glesnes and Maaseide.
Wang Jie of China.Candelas placed 17th in Beijing with Mayra Garcia with a pool-play win over Arvaniti and Karadassiou. With her best finishes on the FIVB World Tour being fifths, Candelas captured 13 NORCECA gold medals, including nine with Garcia and four with Martha Revuelta.
Mayra Garcia (left) and Bibliana Candelas of Mexico.Here are FIVB gold medal winners for the November 29-December 5 time period.
December 2
In 2001, Tande Ramos and Emanuel Rego of Brazil won the Brazil Open. It was the fifth of six FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
In 2018, Dziadkou and Piatrushka won the Ljubljana Open. It was the first of two FIVB World wins for the team.
In 2018, Arvaniti and Karagkouni won the Ljubljana Open. It was the first of two FIVB World wins for the team.
Tande Ramos digs.December 3
In 2000, Marcio Araujo and Benjamin Insfran of Brazil won the Vitória Open. It was the second of eight FIVB World Tour wins for the team.
Ricardo Santos (left) and Benjamin Insfran of Brazil.December 5
In 1999, Ze Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil won the Vitória Open. It was the sixth of 11 FIVB World Tour wins for the team.