BELGIANS, DUTCHES EMERGE AS RESPECTIVE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S U21 WORLDS CHAMPIONS IN ROI ET

Roi Et, Thailand, November 12, 2023 – Joppe Van Langendonck/Kyan Vercauteren made historical past for Belgium on Sunday after comeback win within the electrifying showdown towards Austrians Timo Hammarberg/Tim Berger to land the unprecedented males’s title within the 2023 FIVB Seashore Volleyball U21 World Championships on the packed Middle Courtroom in entrance of the picturesque Roi Et Tower right here, as Netherlanders Desy Poiesz/Brecht Piersma avenged Swiss Leona Kernen/Annique Niederhauser, the workforce they misplaced in pool play earlier, to seize the ladies’s world crown.

Because the championships inception in 2001 in Le Lavandou, France, Belgium had by no means made it to the semifinals within the U21 World Championships it doesn’t matter what gender. The 20-year-old Van Langendonck and the 19-year-old Vercauteren’s terrific tie-break win 18-21, 21-19, 15-13 on Sunday gave their Thai supporters and the Belgian followers again house watching them compete via reside VolleyballWorld YouTube Channel a shared celebration for this exceptional success.

It was a scorching Sunday and the climate gods have been unkind to eager seaside volleyball goers on the ultimate day of the topflight championships. Nonetheless, the searing warmth and the hovering temperature of 33 diploma Celsius on this northeastern province of Thailand didn’t dampen the Thai followers’ enthusiastic help and encouragement for his or her favourite groups.

Towards Austrians Hammarberg/Berger, present world No.81 who’ve already claimed three age-category continental medals in Europe comprising a 2021 U18 bronze, a 2022 U20 gold and a 2023 U20 silver apart from profitable their first Seashore Professional Tour podium by incomes gold on the Mallorca Futures in Spain final month, Van Langendonck/Vercauteren went down within the thrilling opener 18-21, however hit again to win the second set 21-19. The third set grew to become see-saw as each side performed neck and neck to win the set and match.

Levelling at 13-13, the Belgians bagged a set level at 14-13, because of Vercauteren’s misleading drop shot and after that allowed the powerful opponents no extra comeback alternative to seize the set 15-13, match and the lads’s U21 world title.

It was the Belgians’ distinctive efficiency with exceptional unbeaten document. Van Langendonck/Vercauteren made a clear sweep within the pool round-robin preliminaries earlier after demolishing Canadians Charles Ellinas/Colin Lash 2-0, Thailand’s Wichaya Wisetkan/Saiphirun Ruairung 2-0 and Ukrainians Vitalii Savvin/Anton Moiseiev 2-1 to prime Pool A and routinely went via Spherical of 16, the place they beat Germans Tamo Wust/Tristan Frobel 2-0. The Belgians went on their spectacular runs to beat Chileans Thomas Acevedo/Maximiliano Cordova de Halleux 2-0 within the Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Within the Sunday morning’s semifinals, the Belgian duo pulled off beautiful 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-11) victory towards France’s Arthur Canet/Teo Rotar, present world No.38 who emerged because the 2023 European champions apart from profitable bronze in final 12 months’s U19 World Championship and silver on the U20 European Championship, whereas Hammarberg/Berger routed Brazilians Pedro Augusto Sousa De Oliveira/Henrique Camboim de Barros 2-0 (21-18, 21-17).

The French pair needed to be content material with bronze medal following their hard-fought 2-1 (21-16, 19-21, 15-12) win towards the Brazilians within the third-place playoff earlier.

In the meantime, the Dutch pair of Desy Poiesz/Brecht Piersma put it previous Switzerland’s Kernen/Niederhauser 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) within the last conflict at hand Netherlands the ladies’s second gold in historical past within the U21 World Championships right here in Roi Et. As Danielle Remmers/Marleen van Lersel gained the Netherlands’ first girls’s gold within the 2008 U21 World Championships in Brighton, the UK, Poiesz and Piersma had an excellent run en path to profitable the gold medal on Sunday.

The Netherlanders received the championships off to an excellent begin in Pool C with 2-0 win towards Argentines Maja Najul Rosas/Morena Marisa Abdala, however later succumbed to a 1-2 loss to Swiss Kernen/Niederhauser. They regained the misplaced pleasure to bounce again and beat Austrians Magdalena Rabitsch/Anja Trailovic 2-0 of their third encounter to prime Pool C and routinely advance to Spherical of 16, the place they outplayed Latvia’s Liva Ebere, 16, and the 18-year-old Deniela Konstantinova 2-0, and maintained their very good type to brush off Thailand’s Salinda Mungkhon/Jidapa Bunongkhun 2-0 within the quarterfinals.

Within the semifinals earlier, Poiesz/Piersma had a simple match towards Malgorzata Ciezkowska/Urszula Lunio to comfortably cruise previous the Poland’s U20 European champions 2-0 (21-16, 21-7), whereas Swiss rising star Kernen, 18, who claimed bronze on the earlier version of the U21 World Championships two years in the past in Phuket, Thailand, and Niederhauser got here from behind to beat China’s Yan Xu/Zhou Mingli 2-1 (15-21, 21-14, 15-9).

Poles Ciezkowska/Lunio bagged bronze medal after Chinese language Yan/Zhou surrendered within the third set. The Chinese language pair took the primary set 21-17, however went down 18-21 within the second set. The tie-breaker noticed the Poles lead initially 3-0 earlier than Yan Xu sustained a hamstring damage. After a short intermission, Yan Xu lay on the bottom in ache and couldn’t proceed to combat anymore. A second later, the Chinese language workforce surrendered and Yan Xu was stretchered out of the competitors courtroom, permitting the Poles to take house bronze medal.

On the finish of the ladies’s last showdown, Mr Somporn Chaibangyang, President of Thailand Volleyball Affiliation, introduced grateful plaques to sponsors and supporters together with Roi Et Province, Roi Et Municipality and Roi Et Provincial Administrative Group on their helps for organizing the FIVB Seashore Volleyball U21 World Championships and making the topflight competitors a memorable success.

Afterwards, FIVB Consultant and FIVB Teacher Mr Alexander James Metal from Scotland introduced Mayor of Roi Et Mr Banjong Kositjiranan a Certificates for efficiently internet hosting the U21 World Championships.

A conventional dance was carried out in entrance of distinguished company, taking part athletes and a lot of Roi Et residents packing the Middle Courtroom and adjoining areas.

In the meantime, because the FIVB Seashore Volleyball Referee Course additionally got here to a fruitful conclusion on Sunday, the Certificates Presentation was made throughout the awards presentation and shutting ceremony on the Middle Courtroom, with TVA President Mr Somporn presenting all course attendants the certificates.

The Course was hosted by TVA in collaboration with FIVB and commenced final Sunday at M Grand Resort with Mayor of Roi Et Province Mr Banjong Kositjiranan and Mr Shanrit Wongprasert, Honorary Life Vice President and Government Director of Asian Volleyball Confederation, collectively presiding and well-qualified 20 candidates attending a 3-day principle session between November 5 and seven and appearing as worldwide referees within the 2023 FIVB Seashore Volleyball U21 World Championships in Roi Et from November 8 to 12.

The 20 candidates attending the FIVB Seashore Volleyball Referee Course in Roi Et and introduced with certificates on Sunday are as follows.

1. Takayuki Imaizumi (Japan)

2. Nguyen Thai Binh (Vietnam)

3. Jaturong Tongwat (Thailand)

4. Lerson Saolon (Thailand)

5. Robinson Tumwesigye (Uganda)

6. Enias Kenneth Kondo (Zimbabwe)

7. Omer Ali Mohamed Ahmed (Sudan)

8. Eliot Mupariwa (Zimbabwe)

9. Jamie Salvin (Scotland)

10. Ognyan Andonov (Bulgaria)

11. Eleni Trachalaki (Greece)

12. Selin Guclu (Turkey)

13. Hernan Jose Echenique Espinoza (Chile)

14. Murillo Bastos Junqueira (Brazil)

15. Rodrigo Alfonso Santacruz Davila (Uruguay)

16. Gilberto Alvarado Rivera (Mexico)

17. Simon Ouellet (Canada)

18. Magdalena Gleaves (USA)

19. Hannington Nsubuga (Uganda)

20. Diego Rodriguez Del Pozo (Spain)

The Certificates Presentation was adopted by the awards presentation, with all courtroom assistants and volunteers forming two lengthy queues to welcome FIVB representatives, referees and all medallists.

As Roi Et Governor Mr Songpol Jai-krim and TVA President Mr Somporn Chaibangyang collectively presided over the closing ceremony, company of honor included Mr Seksit Vainiyompong, President of Roi Et Provincial Administrative Group, Mayor of Roi Et Mr Banjong Kositjiranan, Mr Oguz Degirmenci from Turkey, Technical Delegate of the 2023 FIVB Seashore Volleyball U21 World Championships, and three FIVB Instructors comprising Mr Jose Casanova from Portugal, Mr Alexander James Metal from Scotland and Mr Andre Trottier from Canada had been invited to current medals and souvenirs to the respective medallists.

Within the males’s occasion, Belgians Van Langendonck/Vercauteren acquired gold medals as the brand new U21 world champion, whereas Austrians Hammarberg/Berger and France’s Canet/Rotar secured silver and bronze medals respectively.

The ladies’s world crown went to Netherlands’ Poiesz/Piersma. Swiss Kernen/Niederhauser picked up silver, with Poles Ciezkowska/Lunio taking bronze medals.

In his closing speech, Roi Et Governor Mr Songpol prolonged his honest because of FIVB and TVA to entrust internet hosting the topflight championships to Roi Et and on the similar time, thanked all events together with Roi Et Municipality and Roi Et Provincial Administrative Group for his or her wonderful cooperation in making the 2023 FIVB Seashore Volleyball U21 World Championships a fantastic success when it comes to organizing and selling the competitors amongst Roi Et residents, these from neighboring provinces and volleyball fanatics. He additionally wished all guests a protected journey again house, including that Roi Et is wanting ahead to welcoming them for an additional return to the province.