Pinarella di Cervia, Italy,  July 28, 2019. Maksim Hudyakov and Igor Velichko managed to execute successful preparations for the upcoming home #EuroBeachVolley winning the World Tour 1-Star event in Pinarella di Cervia by defeating the Austrian team Florian Ertl and Johannes Kratz 2-1 (22-20, 15-21, 15-12) in the gold medal match in front of a full stadium. The eventual bronze medallists were also from Russia - Maxim Sivolap/Artem Yarzutkin.

Hudyakov/Velichko, the top seeds and the favourites in the tournament, needed all their efforts and energy to defeat the surprise of the competition, Ertl/Kraft, who had started their journey from the qualification round.

Full podium with teams from Russia and Austria

Sivolap/Yarzutkin upset the second surprise of the tournament -  South Africans Grant Goldschmidt/Leo Williams, who fought their way up from the qualification as well, on their path to the podium 2-0 (21-19, 21-14).

“Despite bad weather on Saturday, the event was really successful,” declared Paolo Caponigri, head promoter and CEO of Caponigri Events Srl. “The audience in the stadium appreciated the very exciting rallies and we are sure to have shown to everybody how our area is a land of passion.”

Click here for further information.