2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships: Czechia claim historic men’s title as USA win women’s gold to clinch Paris 2024 quota spots
The Czech pair of Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner secured a world title by winning a dramatic final against Norway, marking their country's first-ever men's world title. Meanwhile, the USA's Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes triumphed defending champions Brazil in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Beach Volleyball
Czechia duo of Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner made history by winning the men’s 2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships on Sunday (16 October) in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
USA’s Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes dethroned Brazil, reclaiming the top spot on the women’s podium after 14 years.
These victories secured Olympic quota slots for both Czechia and the USA for Paris 2024.
Silver medalist David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden, Gold medalist Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of Czechia and Bronze medalist Bartosz Losiak and Michal Bryl of Poland celebrate with their medals during the medal ceremony for the Men's Beach Volleyball World Championship Fina on October 15, 2023 in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
'Proud' Czechia rout Sweden
The Czechia pair returned to competition at the Tlaxcala bullring, buoyed by their recent wins in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, where they secured gold medals in Elite16 events held in Uberlândia and Paris.
After winning only one of their three pool matches, Czechia bounced back in the elimination rounds. They won five straight matches, dropping just one set in four of them.
In the quarter-finals, they beat the defending champions and world number one team from Norway (Anders Mol and Christian Sørum). Then, in the semis, they edged out USA’s Theo Brunner/Trevor Crabb (21-15, 21-12) to set up the gold medal clash against Sweden.
The 29-year-old Czech Olympians made history by becoming the first team since the women's team in 2001 to return home with a world title. They routed Sweden’s David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig in a three-set thriller (21-15, 17-21, 15-13).
Poland’s Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak took bronze.
“These three weeks were probably the longest of our lives, we went through a little bit of everything,” Schweiner said.
“From preparation to playing the best teams, it was really, really difficult. But I’m super happy and proud of our entire team and our families. This is not only about us two, it’s a team result. It’s unbelievable, we’re world champions.”
“It’s unreal, I really don’t know how to describe my feelings because I can’t quite understand them,” Perusic added. “If I had to pick one word, it would be pride. I’m very proud of our entire team and everyone who contributed to our journey and who was by our side since the beginning. This is a huge accomplishment, not only for us, but for Czech beach volleyball.”
If the Czech National Comittee confirms their selection, it will be the second Olympic appearance for their pair, who have been playing together since 2016.
USA take gold and bronze in women's competition
28-year-old Cheng and Hughes, who returned to play together for the second time at the end of last year, needed a tiebreaker to reach the final in the All-American semi-final. They ended the unbeaten run of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss at the event (18-21, 21-12, 15-13).
The women’s final was a familiar encounter between countries that had previously met seven times in the past 14 editions of the Beach Volleyball Worlds.
The Americans overcame defending champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos, who had not dropped a set in Mexico prior to the finals, winning in straight sets of 21-16, 24-22.
“I’m just so thankful for Sara,” said Cheng, who played together with Hughes from 2015 to 2018, as she looks forward to a second Olympic appearance after Tokyo 2020. “I’m so proud of her, and I just thank God for putting us back together.” If the pair is selected by their national committee, it would be the first Olympics for Hughes.
The Americans made it two of three teams on the podium, as Kloth and Nuss took bronze.