05/06/2016 16:27
Ludwig and Walkenhorst retain European crown in Biel / Bienne
2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Biel / Bienne, Switzerland, June 5, 2016. Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst further cemented their status of Europe’s ‘Queens of the Beach’ following yet another show of strength they delivered in the final match of the 2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final in Biel / Bienne. Ludwig/Walkenhorst controlled the game from start to end on their way to a comprehensive 21-14, 21-15 victory over the real sensation of the tournament, Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova of the Czech Republic. Germany confirmed their leading role on the European Beach Volleyball scene as Karla Borger/Britta Büthe claimed the bronze medal match with Russia’s Ekaterina Birlova/Evgenia Ukolova (22-20, 21-17) to complete the podium.
The 2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final is being extensively covered on the CEV website (click here) as well as on all CEV social media pages; a comprehensive live gallery of the competition is available here while additional information can be found on the organisers’ website www.beacheuro2016.ch.
Ludwig sets bunch of all-time records after claiming fourth European crown
Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst celebrated back-to-back European titles on a chilly Sunday afternoon after playing before a sell-out crowd of 3,200. As a result, the Germans equalled a feat previously achieved only by Italy’s Laura Bruschini/Annamaria Solazzi who had won two European Championship titles in a row back in 1999 and 2000.
Ludwig set an all-time record in Biel / Bienne improving her personal tally to nine European Championship medals – a feat no other player has accomplished since the women’s premier Beach Volleyball competition in Europe was established in 1994. She now is a four-time European champion – she has got two titles on her resume together with former partner, the now retired Sara Goller (2008 and 2010) and another two with Walkenhorst (2015 and 2016). No other European player can boast the same feat.
Laura looked visibly emotional at the end of a match she and Walkenhorst dominated from start to end – as their Czech opponents seemed to have run out of fuel, more mentally than physically, after their results in the tournament had exceeded all expectations. “It is a great feeling, we really enjoyed playing here and it feels great when everything works just fine on the court as well as behind the scenes,” she said. “We have been working really hard with our staff and it is a great feeling to see that what we have been doing is paying dividends. I would like to thank the Swiss fans for their support and for being here even though the weather was not always on the side of the organisers.”
As for Slukova and Hermannova, their silver medal accounts for the best result for a Czech team since Eva Celbova and Sona Novakova won gold in 2001 and 2003. “I am really proud of what my players did. They had a difficult year with many different challenges and what they did in this tournament is truly exceptional,” said their coach Simon Nausch. “These girls are great to work with, what makes them for me different than any other team is that they are always willing to learn. Now they are crying a bit because they were eager to win, but tomorrow morning we will be able to talk about what went wrong and later we will go back to practice and work on the mistakes we made.”
Borger/Büthe cap fabulous week with first ever European Championship medal
German teams seem to be some a kind of nemesis for Ekaterina Birlova and Evgenia Ukolova of Russia. Last year Birlova/Ukolova lost the #EuroBeachVolley gold medal match to Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst and on Saturday the Russians ended up losing the remake of that game in the semis of the competition being organised right by the shores of Lake Biel.
On Sunday early afternoon Birlova and Ukolova vied for their second straight European Championship medal – and yet again they played a German team, Karla Borger and Britta Büthe. The opening set was a close race from start to end with the Germans eventually cashing a 22-20 win. Borger/Büthe seemed well en route towards claiming their first European Championship medal as they claimed a four-point lead in the second set (14-10). However, they had to deal with the fighting spirit and resilience displayed by their opponents who were not likely to give in without putting on a fight. Birlova and Ukolova stormed back to prompt a German time-out after they had moved the score to 17-16 in their favour. Borger and Büthe regrouped and scored one point after the other to eventually seal their victory at 21-17 by the time heavy rain had started pouring down on the centre court of Biel / Bienne.
Though Borger and Büthe can boast the best result ever achieved by a women’s European team on the stage of the FIVB World Championships – they won silver at Stare Jablonki in 2013 – this is their first European Championship medal – and at the same time also another step forward on the way that takes to the Rio 2016 Olympics later this summer.
“I do not know if this victory is well-deserved, but earlier this morning we talked to each other and we agreed that we really wanted to travel home with a medal,” Karla Borger said. “I think that this medal is the right reward not only for us, but also for our coaching staff, family and friends, who have been supporting us here in Biel / Bienne,” she added. Borger was closely followed this week by her mother Cordula, who won a European Championship title in 1995 alongside Beate Paetow. “Our previous campaigns at the European Championship were all side-lined by injuries and it’s great that this time around we were both fit and finally won a medal,” she concluded.
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