ΑΟΠΕ Μοσχάτου - Ακαδημία Volley - Kapodistriou 2-4

Issa Batrane and Freddie Bialokoz stormed through the qualifiers at last weekend’s Beach Pro Tour event on the Greek island of Ios to claim England’s first medal on the new international beach volleyball circuit.

Following impressive performances in recent competitions in Lithuania and Norway, where the duo finished 5^th and 2^nd, respectively, Team Batrane-Bialokoz overcame adverse weather conditions to finish third and win a bronze medal.

On route to their medal match, they came up against fellow countrymen the Bello Brothers in the main draw, with Freddie and Issa coming from behind to win 2-1 (13-21; 21-17; 15-11).

Issa said: "It's a great feeling for our team to make history with the first medal on the Beach Pro Tour of any English team. The new Pro Tour system is condensed into 3 tiers instead of 5 like previous years, which just means it is more competitive across the board.

“We are of course really happy to have ended the tournament with a victory and claiming the bronze medal, but we are also hungry to fight to be 2 more steps up on that podium.

“We just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported and made this possible and a huge shoutout to our team who continue to enjoy these moments with us but also push and demand more from us every week.”

The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour began in March 2022, replacing the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. Elite16 is the highest-level event on the tour, where the very best beach athletes compete to become champions. Challenge level tournaments feed into the Elite16 tournaments and the Futures tournaments allow cities to develop the sport in their countries and build up the capabilities of up-and-coming stars.

Between 2019 and the launch of the Beach Pro Tour in 2022, English athletes won 1 gold and 4 bronze medals on the Beach Volleyball World Tour.

Team Batrane-Bialokoz will now head back to Deep Dish Crystal Palace for training before travelling to Ciro Marina, Italy, for their next Beach Pro Tour event between 14^th-17^th July.

Heavy winds created tricky playing conditions for all teams in Ios. Javier and Joaquin Bello were beaten by eventual winners Bercik/Dzavoronok in the quarter-finals, while Jess Grimson and Daisy Mumby were knocked out in the second round of qualification.

Photo: FIVB.