Argentineans and Brazilians build momentum with South American Tour victory

Beach volleyball teams from Argentina and Brazil got to boost their confidence ahead of the start of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour 2022 season next week in Mexico with victories at the South American Tour’s fifth stop in Mollendo, Peru, on Sunday.

Set to play in the Challenge tournament in Tlaxcala from March 16-20, Argentinean brothers Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso and Brazilians Elize Maia Secomandi and Thamela Coradello triumphed in the tournament that had both finals reuniting teams from the two countries.

Partners for the first time in 2022, the Capogrosso brothers were awarded their first international gold medals as a team with a hard-fought, three-set (16-21, 24-22, 15-10) win over reigning Brazilian champions Vitor Felipe and Renato Lima, who took silver in the final FIVB World Tour event in Itapema last November.

A Tokyo Olympian with former partner Julian Azaad, the 27-year-old Nicolas praised the team’s fighting spirit in the final. That will be an important thing to have in Tlaxcala as the Argentineans are set to start their campaign in the qualifier.

“The Brazilians started really well and we knew it would be a difficult match for us,” he reflected. “But we kept fighting and the rivalry that exists between the two countries made us get energy from somewhere I still can’t understand. It’s a really remarkable victory for us.”

Uruguayans Hans Hannibal and Marco Cairus took bronze after they defeated Ecuadorans Joffre Jurardo and Marcos Tenorio in straight sets (21-14, 21-10).

Brazil got revenge in the women’s final with the 37-year-old Elize and the 21-year-old Thamela prevailing against Tokyo Olympians Ana Gallay and Fernanda Pereyra in another closely-contested three-set (22-20, 19-21, 15-10) gold medal match.

The victory gave the team good momentum for the Tlaxcala Challenge, where they will start in the main draw.

“It was tough, the Argentineans fought until the end,” Thamela analysed. “The key for us was remaining focused so we could execute our game plan regardless of the situation. It was nice winning in front of such an enthusiastic crowd.”

Chile took bronze among the women with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) victory of the country’s top team of Chris Vorpahl and Francisca Rivas over Ecuador’s Ariana Castro and Karelys Simisterra.

The sixth stop of the South American Tour will take place next weekend in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It will be the last event on the continent before the Tour Finals, which will take place in Uberlandia, Brazil, from May 13-15.