The MEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championship came to a close on Tuesday in Portorož, with Czechia and Israel celebrating gold medals after an exciting final day of competition. Following three days of high-level matches, the tournament concluded with the semifinals and medal matches, determining the region’s representatives for the upcoming CEV U20 European Championship.
In the men’s competition, Czech duo Pavlusek/Havelka secured the title after defeating Slovakia’s Beles/Danco 2-0 (21-19, 21-14) in the gold medal match. The Czech pair reached the final after edging Hungary’s Pongracz/Goudie in a thrilling semifinal, 2-1 (24-26, 22-20, 15-11).
The second semifinal was another closely contested battle, with Slovakia’s Beles/Danco overcoming Austria’s Sponer A./Gavan 2-1 (29-27, 11-21, 15-12) to book their place in the championship match.
The bronze medal was awarded to Hungary’s Pongracz/Goudie after Austria’s Sponer A./Gavan were unable to compete in the third-place match, resulting in a forfeit.
The women’s tournament saw Israeli top seeds Maor/Gonzalez finish the championship unbeaten. They claimed the title with a convincing 2-0 (21-12, 21-14) victory over Hungary’s Kiss-Bertok/Zador in the final after earlier defeating Czech pair Kafkova/Kalisova 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) in the semifinals.
Hungary’s Kiss-Bertok/Zádor booked their place in the final with a straight-set semifinal win over Croatia’s Sos/Biuk (21-18, 21-15).
The bronze medal match went to Czech duo Kafkova/Kalisova, who defeated Croatia’s Sos/Biuk 2-0 (23-21, 21-13) to complete the podium.
The MEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championship once again showcased the quality of young beach volleyball across Central Europe and beyond, with teams competing for valuable qualification places at the upcoming CEV U20 European Championship.
With the U20 Championship now complete, attention in Portorož quickly turns to the MEVZA U16 Championship, taking place from July 8-10, where another generation of young beach volleyball talents will compete for medals.
