Duos from Latvia, Germany, China and Japan also make the Beach Pro Tour podiums in China
- Dunwinit Kaewsai & Banlue Nakprakhong from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported Thailand earn Qidong Futures silver at the pair’s Beach Pro Tour debut
- Latvian duo Toms Liepa & Ernests Puskundzis win gold in China, Germany’s Niklas Held & Hennes Jorge Nissen take bronze
- China’s Zhou Mingli & Yan Xu and Jiang Kaiyue & Yu Tong, and Japan’s Asami Shiba & Saki Maruyama line up on the women’s podium from gold to bronze respectively
The newly formed men’s pairing of Dunwinit Kaewsai & Banlue Nakprakhong (pictured in the main photo; credits Thailand Volleyball Association) from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported Thailand claimed the silver medal at the team’s debut on the Beach Pro Tour last week at the Qidong Futures in China. 19-year-old Latvians Toms Liepa & Ernests Puskundzis picked up the gold, while Germany’s Niklas Held & Hennes Jorge Nissen took the bronze.
Another 19-year-old, Zhou Mingli, and her 20-year-old partner Yan Xu of China delighted the home crowd with the women’s trophy, while Jiang Kaiyue & Yu Tong, also of China, and Japan’s Asami Shiba & Saki Maruyama completed the women’s podium.
The Thailand Volleyball Association’s beach volleyball department has so far been allocated a total of CHF 216,000 worth of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support and their national teams have been training under the guidance of Brazilian coach Adriana Bento.
31-year-old Dunwinit and 28-year-old Banlue reached the Qidong final undefeated in four matches played. The only set the seventh-seeded duo of Thailand lost during that winning streak was the first set of their semifinal against 13th-seeded German qualifiers Niklas Held & Hennes Jorge Nissen. Dunwinit & Banlue produced a 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-12) comeback and secured a podium spot at their Beach Pro Tour debut as a pair. It was Dunwinit’s second medal, after he earned another silver at the Subic Bay Futures in 2022.
Triumphant Liepa & Puskundzis (Photo credits: Beachvolleylv)
Fifth-seeded Latvian pair Toms Liepa & Ernests Puskundzis started the tournament with a loss in their first pool match, but then achieved five consecutive victories on the way to the gold, dropping only a set in their 2-1 (21-19, 11-21, 15-12) final against Dunwinit & Banlue. In the semifinals, the Latvian team mastered a 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) win over 10th-seeded Bence Tari & Akos Veress of Hungary. The Qidong gold was Liepa & Puskundzis’ first on the Beach Pro Tour and second overall medal, after the Nuvali Futures bronze in April.
22-year-old Held and 19-year-old Nissen achieved their first-ever Tour podium after a 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) sweep of the bronze medal match against Tari & Veress.
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The Qidong Futures podium (Photo credits: Thailand Volleyball Association)
In the women’s competition, Zhou Mingli & Yan Xu collected their third gold and fourth overall medal on the Beach Pro Tour. All three of the previous podiums were also earned in front of home crowds in China. The top-seeded duo that also triumphed at the Qidong Futures in 2022, won all five of their matches in last week’s tournament, losing only two sets along the way. In the semifinals, Zhou & Yan mastered a 2-0 (21-9, 21-8) win over 14th-seeded compatriots Wang Jing & Liang Yunjia, and in the battle for the gold, they celebrated a 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 15-12) victory over another pair from Chinese, 10th-seeded Jiang Kaiyue & Yu Tong.
By claiming the silver, Jiang followed up on the second place she earned at her previous Tour appearance with another partner at the Wuhan Qingshan Futures in May. For Yu, the Qidong silver was the first Beach Pro Tour medal of her career. In their semifinal, Jiang & Yu claimed a 2-1 (27-25, 16-21, 15-11) victory over fourth-seeded Shiba & Maruyama of Japan, thus completing a four-match winning streak on the way to the silver medal.
Shiba & Maruyama then bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 (23-21, 18-21, 15-12) win over Wang & Liang to claim their second Beach Pro Tour bronze.
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26 men’s and 25 women’s teams representing a total of 17 different countries took part in the Qidong Futures. This week, China will welcome another Beach Pro Tour event, the Qingdao Futures from 12 to 15 September. There will also be a Futures event in Bujumbura, Burundi from 11 to 14 September.
Qidong Futures: results and standings
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