FIVB World Ranking leaders Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa will carry a precious piece of hardware to Tokyo after the Brazilians won the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 4-star event in Gstaad, their last tournament before the Olympic Games.
The 38-year-old Agatha and the 22-year-old Duda came out on top in the All-Brazilian gold medal match in the Swiss Alps as they downed compatriots and fellow Olympians to-be Rebecca Cavalcanti and Ana Patricia Ramos in straight sets (23-21, 21-18).
The victory gave the Brazilians their second gold medal in 2021, following their victory in the second event of the Cancun Hub in April. Agatha and Duda have won three more medals – one silver and two bronzes – in seven World Tour events played this year.
“This is so exciting,” Duda said after the final. “It’s our first gold here in Gstaad, a city that’s very beautiful and has one of the best atmospheres for us to play. It was a very emotional tournament and for us to win gold in the last tournament before Tokyo, it’s very special and means a lot.”
Duda and Ana Patricia battle at the netIt was also their seventh World Tour title as a team since the partnership started in 2017. Since then, Agatha and Duda have played in 38 international events together. It’s also the first time the two step on the podium in Gstaad and take home the coveted cowbells offered as trophies for the teams at tournament in the Swiss Alps.
“I have been chasing these cowbells since I first played here, in 2005, it’s been 16 years,” Agatha reflected. “We didn’t start the final well but all I was thinking about was playing my best game. Results are obviously important but winning or losing is part of the game, what I really can’t stand is leaving the court with the felling I didn’t play the best I could. I was focusing on my game and it worked out.”
Canadians Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes, the reigning world champions, also stepped on the podium after their 2-1 (21-13, 13-21, 17-15) win over Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka in the bronze medal match. It was the third medal won by Pavan and Humana-Paredes in 2021, alongside silvers in Doha and Cancun.
It’s also the third time the Canadians take home the coveted cowbells after winning the event in the Swiss Alps in 2018 and taking bronze in 2017.
“We’re so excited,” Humana-Paredes said afterwards. “We love the cowbells and love playing in Gstaad. We really wanted and we really needed this podium on our road to Tokyo. I think we ended the tournament on a really strong note. There are still a lot of things for us to work on, but we’re really happy with the result.”
Earlier, in the semifinals, the All-Brazilian gold medal match was set up with Agatha and Duda’s 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) win over Pavan and Humana-Paredes and Rebecca and Ana Patricia’s three-set (24-22, 18-21, 15-6) triumph against Graudina and Kravcenoka.
Quick links:
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour - Gstaad
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
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