31/08/2020 16:27
Three-time EuroBeachVolley gold medallists triumph at Italian championship
News from the National Federations
Caorle, Italy, August 31, 2020. Three-time European champions Paolo Nicolai/Daniele Lupo and Sara Breidenbach/Giada Benazzi claimed on Sunday top honours from the 27th edition of the Italian national Beach Volleyball championship. The event in Caorle was the only stop of the Italian Beach Volleyball Tour this year due to the many disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with only a very few people allowed to attend on site.
Breidenbach/Benazzi were the sensational winners of the women’s tournament, after working together for a few months despite the lack of any competition. The eventual Italian champions lost their first set in the competition in the final versus Claudia Scampoli/Margherita Bianchin, who earlier in the day had defeated Italian Beach Volleyball superstars Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth. Menegatti and Orsi Toth withdrew from the bronze medal match due to injury, with Chiara They and Dalila Varrassi claiming third place as a result.
“I am very happy, yet I cannot believe it,” Breidenbach said. “It was only our first tournament together, even though we have been working as a team since June in Cesenatico and Milan. I do not know how to explain the emotion, but it is the demonstration that it happens to those who believe it. Thanks to Giada, here in Caorle everything was perfect despite the inevitable difficulties. For now we think about the present, then we will see about the future.”
Giada Benazzi and Sara Breidenbach were the surprise winners of the women's competition in Caorle
“We did not really think of anything during the match, we played one ball at a time,” Benazzi added. “They started serving on Sara, then switched to me, they took a good break and won the first set. After that, we regrouped and we managed to win, that feels incredible. It was difficult, we try to carve out spaces to train and carry on our passion throughout the year. Our goal was to get here and play with the strongest teams in Italy. We are delighted. Thanks to Sara, my family and my employers for the many opportunities they have provided for me to be able to train.”
The men’s final featured four players accounting for nine Italian titles altogether. Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo came from behind in the tiebreak to edge Enrico Rossi and Adrian Carambula – and celebrate their fourth ‘scudetto’ each. These two teams will represent Italy at the 2020 edition of EuroBeachVolley in Jurmala, Latvia, in a couple of weeks. Andrea Abbiati and Tiziano Andreatta finished the competition in third place after losing a close semi-final to Nicolai/Lupo, thus confirming their great shape after taking gold at the World Tour 1-Star event held in Ljubljana earlier this month.
Three-time European champion Paolo Nicolai in action during the men's final
“It was important to get back to playing, it has been a while since we did it last time,” Nicolai said. “The final was of a high standard. We won, and even though this is not our biggest goal, winning is always a pleasure. We came here to Caorle to understand where we stand, we are a little behind but there are still two weeks before we travel to the European Championship. The good news these days is that there is such a tournament that we can look forward to despite such a difficult season.”
“I am used to receiving skyballs, Adrian is a great athlete and entertains the public. With Enrico they are a great couple. This is a starting point for us, there will be the European Championship soon where we hope to have fun,” Lupo added.
Paolo Nicolai and Claudia Scampoli received the prizes for the MVPs of the event.
Pictures courtesy of Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV)
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