Roi Et, Thailand, June 22, 2025 – Kazakhstan’s Klim Ryukhov and Vladislav Mastikhin wrote history by claiming their country’s first-ever gold medal at the 6th Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships at Nong Ya Ma Community School on Sunday, while China’s Jiang Kaiyue and Zhou Mingli triumphed in the women’s competition.
After five days of intense competition, the highly anticipated double-gender continental tournament concluded with thrilling finals in both categories.
Seventh seeds Ryukhov and Mastikhin delivered a remarkable performance to secure a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) victory over China’s third-seeded youngsters Liu Yuan, 17, and Mao Yuan, 19, who had shown promise with a ninth-place finish at last month’s Beach Pro Tour Qingshan Futures on home soil and a 17th-place finish at the Songkhla Futures in April. Their triumph marked Kazakhstan’s historic first gold medal in this Asian Age Group competition.
Since the biennial tournament’s inception in 2016, only teams from China, Australia, Thailand, and Iran had previously claimed the men’s title, with Australia winning twice in 2017 and 2023, both also hosted in Roi Et.
Throughout the tournament, the Kazakh pair remained in formidable form, scoring five straight 2-0 wins en route to their title, including their sensational final victory over Liu and Mao. Their toughest challenge came in the semifinals against top-seeded Thais Wichaya Wisetkan and Paphawin Manyahong, where they were pushed to three sets but ultimately prevailed 2-1.
In the men’s third-place playoff, Wichaya and Paphawin, fresh from winning the SAVA U21 Championships at the same venue last week, secured the bronze medal after edging Australia’s second seeds Finley Bennett and Benjamin Carroll 2-1 (21-17, 16-21, 15-9).
In the women’s competition, China’s second seeds Jiang Kaiyue and Zhou Mingli, coming off a ninth-place finish at the Beach Pro Tour Qingdao Futures on June 15, dominated the field to clinch the title with an impressive 2-0 (21-17, 21-15) victory over Thailand’s top seeds Samitta Simarongnam and Veragkhana Sogalee in the final.
This victory marked China’s second-ever title in the Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships, following their men’s and women’s double gold at the inaugural edition in 2016 in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand.
Jiang and Zhou were flawless throughout the competition, capturing the title with a perfect unbeaten record, not dropping a single set in their six matches, including a dominant 21-8, 21-17 semifinal win over Japan’s third seeds Mei Mori and Noa Utsugi.
New Zealand’s Kiana Stevenson and Tineke Hinton claimed the bronze medal in the women’s event after defeating Mori and Utsugi 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) in the third-place playoff.
The awards presentation and closing ceremony were presided over by Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA) President Mr Somporn Chaibangyang, alongside senior officials from Roi Et Municipality and tournament organizers.
The 6th Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships served as a qualification event for the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships, scheduled for October 15–19, 2025, in Puebla, Mexico. The top five federations from Roi Et will earn direct qualification for the main draw, while four others will advance to the World Championships Qualification Tournament.
MATCH RESULTS
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WOMEN
FINAL RANKINGS
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WOMEN
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