Americans claim men’s and women’s Rubavu golds

Teams from the United States stepped on to the top step of both the men’s and women’s podiums at the conclusion of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 2-star event in Rubavu, Rwanda, on Sunday, with the victories of Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk and Emily Day/Sara Hughes. 

The 36-year-old Brunner and the 35-year-old Schalk both celebrated the first international title of their careers after they came out on top of the all-American gold medal match in Rubavu, when they defeated Chase Budinger and Troy Field 2-0 (25-23, 21-15).

It took Brunner, who first appeared in the World Tour back in 2013, 64 tournaments to secure his first World Tour gold. For Schalk, the wait was even longer as the first of his 77 international events dates back to 2010. The defender spent the first eight years of his career playing for Canada, the country he represented at the Rio 2016 Olympics, before switching federations to the United States. The tournament in Rwanda was just the ninth he played as an American.

The men’s bronze medal also featured a meeting between teams from the same country and saw Maksim Hudyakov and Aleksandr Kramarenko defeat fellow Russians Anton Kislytsyn and Daniil Kuvichka in straight sets (21-11, 21-15) to take the last spot on the podium. 

First title for Day and Hughes

On the women’s side, the 33-year-old Day and the 26-year-old Hughes also celebrated their first victory as a team. Partners in seven events, the Americans won a close three-setter (19-21, 21-13, 16-14) against Germans Chantal Laboureur and Sarah Schulz to take the title. 

It was Day’s first-ever World Tour victory after competing in 93 events since 2011. Hughes had previously won tournaments in Moscow, with Summer Ross, in 2018, and in Siem Reap, with Lauren Fendrick, in 2020.

Another German team made it to the women’s podium as Sarah Schneider and Svenja Muller downed Ukrainians Valentyna Davidova and Diana Lunina in two sets (21-19, 21-19) to secure the bronze medal. 

Quick links:
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour - Rubavu
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
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