Beach Volleyball

Laura Ludwig can’t imagine life without beach volleyball.
Alongside teammate Kira Walkenhorst, the German pair won Olympic gold at Rio 2016, before sealing the FIVB World Championships title in 2017.
She decided to take the 2018 season off in order to give birth to her son Theo, but during that

Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games

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Laura Ludwig: Never give up and luck will find you

Witness what it means to be part of the Olympic Games

Rio 2016 | Olympic Games

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Emotions of the Games

Laura Ludwig and and Kira Walkenhorst cause upset in Rio by knocking out the host nation in the women's beach volleyball.

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Germany knock out hosts in Beach Volleyball

Replay

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Beach Volleyball: Women's Gold Match | Rio 2016 Replays

Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst defeat Agatha Bendnarczuk and Barbara Seixas De Freitas to win Germany's first ever beach volleyball gold.

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German pair win Beach Volleyball gold

Highlights from day 13 at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

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Postcards from Rio - Day 13: triple sweep

United States of America

Simone

Simone Biles - Olympics.com

Sweden

Armand

Armand Duplantis - Olympics.com

Mikaela

Mikaela SHIFFRIN

Ilia

Ilia Malinin - Olympics.com

Kira WALKENHORST

Kira

‘Retired', ‘paused’, ‘break’ – whatever you call Kira Walkenhorst's hiatus from beach volleyball, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion is back.
The 31-year-old mother of three returns to the international stage five years after stepping away from the sport due to injury having accepted a wildcard for her home European Championships

European Championships | Munich 2022

HAMBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 04: Kira Walkenhorst of Germany reacts during the match against Lisa-Sophie Kotzan and Natascha Niemczyk of Germany on day two of the German Beach Volleyball Championship at Timmendorfer Strand on September 04, 2020 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)

Kira Walkenhorst German champs August 2020

Kira Walkenhorst on comeback trail for Paris 2024

Elite athletes love holiday cheat food too. From cheese to cheesecake, roulade to ramen, we asked some of the biggest names from a range of sports to share their festive favourites. WARNING: This video may make you hungry!

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Find out which holiday treats these top sports people enjoy

She was a Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist and 2017 world champion alongside playing partner Laura Ludwig, but Kira Walkenhorst was also in daily pain. The German had nine surgeries, and in 2019 she decided there was "no point in continuing" to play competitively. After stepping away from the sport to take a break and become a parent to triplets with partner Maria, the German has decided to return to top level beach volleyball. It's too late for her to challenge for a spot at the Tokyo Games in 2021, but she's set her sights on the Paris 2024 Olympics. Find out why in our exclusive interview, where the 30-year-old also described her admiration for how Kerri Walsh-Jennings balances her career and motherhood.

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Kira WALKENHORST

Featured

Laura Ludwig: Never give up and luck will find you

Emotions of the Games

Germany knock out hosts in Beach Volleyball

Kira WALKENHORST
Replays

Olympic Results

Kira WALKENHORST

Featured

Laura Ludwig: Never give up and luck will find you

Emotions of the Games

Germany knock out hosts in Beach Volleyball

Kira WALKENHORST Replays

Olympic Results

Kira WALKENHORST
Replays