CEV European Championship 2012

  • CEV European Beach Volleyball Championship 2012


    Date: 30 May - 03 June 2012
    Venue: Beach of Scheveningen
    Host City: The Hague (the Netherlands)


    Round 3 (Quarter Finals)


    Brink-Reckermann GER [1] 2-0 Kaczmarek-Walkenhorst GER [15] (21-13, 21-17)
    Kadziola-Szalankiewicz POL [23] 2-0 Brouwer-Meeuwsen NED [12] (21-18, 21-14)
    Nummerdor-Schuil NED [2] 0-2 Boersma E.-Spijkers NED [3] (14-21, 11-21)
    Skarlund-Spinnangr NOR [17] 2-0 Stiekema-Varenhorst NED [6] (21-17, 21-18)


    Semifinals


    Kadziola-Szalankiewicz POL [23] 1-2 Brink-Reckermann GER [1] (22-20, 19-21, 13-15)
    Skarlund-Spinnangr NOR [17] 1-2 Boersma E.-Spijkers NED [3] (21-18, 14-21, 12-15)


    Bronze Medal Match


    Skarlund-Spinnangr NOR [17] 2-1 Kadziola-Szalankiewicz POL [23] (17-21, 21-14, 16-14)


    Final


    Boersma E.-Spijkers NED [3] 0-2 Brink-Reckermann GER [1] (17-21, 20-22)

  • The Hague/Scheveningen, Netherlands, June 3, 2012. Martin “Spinny” Spinnangr and Tarjei Skarlund, a couple of young, friendly guys, have been given the task to extend Norway’s tradition in Beach Volleyball and they are on a good track to fulfill these plans as today they claimed a European bronze medal ten years after their compatriots Vegard Hoidalen and Jorre André Kjemperud had done so in Basel.


    Last year, as the European Championship was held in their home country and namely in the city of Kristiansand, Spinnangr and Skarlund were seen as Norway’s top contenders for the podium but they could eventually not fulfill the high expectations of their many fans as well as of the home media. This time they had a great tournament that was rounded out by a stellar performance in the classification match against another up-and-coming pair, i.e. Poland’s Michal Kadziola and Jakub Szalankiewicz (17-21, 21-14, and 16-14).
    “We started our campaign here in The Hague by playing another Norwegian duo, which is something we really do not like, but we stepped up match after match and it feels good to be on the podium” said a happy Martin Spinnangr. As a bunch of fans accompanied their actions from the stands by singing “Heia Norge!”, “let’s go Norway”, Skarlund and Spinnangr clawed back after losing the opening set and eventually dictated the pace of the game for most of the tie-break, after imposing their own quality and rhythm in set 2. After missing out on a couple of match balls (14:12), they showed real maturity as they did not lose composure and a block killed by “Spinny” finished it off to fire up the celebrations out there on the court.
    “I am really happy with this result and it is good for Norway to get back to the top of the charts. I know we got some more medals with our ladies but it has been a while since a male duo stood on the podium of a European Championship. As for yesterday’s semifinal with the Dutch guys, well, we do not have any real regrets even though only a couple of balls eventually decided the final fate of the match” added Spinnangr.
    The Norwegians are not yet qualified for the London Olympics and their sights are set on the final stage of the Continental Cup coming up later this month in Alanya, Turkey. “I am afraid that even though we still have a couple of Grand Slam tournaments left, we won’t be able to make it to London via the FIVB rankings. We hence have to play our best to get that spot via the Continental Cup where our main opponents will be once again Kadziola and Szalankiewicz who also won their respective semifinal in Paris”, so Spinnangr.

  • The Hague/Scheveningen, Netherlands, June 3, 2012. Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann shattered the dreams of Emiel Boersma and Daan Spijkers to complete the Dutch party on the beach of Scheveningen on a Sunday afternoon that was certainly cold but still dry up to the very end of the awarding ceremony that followed the men’s final. The 2009 World champions and last year’s European gold medalists from Germany added another honor to their impressive collection by edging the home heroes in straight sets (21-17, 22-20).


    Jonas Reckermann turns into one of the most successful players in the still relatively young history of the Beach Volleyball European Championship, since this is his fourth gold medal after he had already stood atop of the standings in 2002 and 2004 together with former partner Markus Dieckmann. As for Brink, Scheveningen is a place the 29-year old native of Münster seems to have quite a special connection with, since his first European crown dates back to 2006 as the Championship was held here in the outskirts of The Hague.


    Although they were playing their first tournament of the year after a long break determined by a shoulder injury that Reckermann suffered while training in California, still the Germans re-asserted their supremacy by showcasing their repertoire, as Brink displayed a great variety of shots and his partner Reckermann did a good job in blocking. Actually Boersma and Spijkers fought bravely and even though almost everyone had expected triple European champions Nummerdor and Schuil to challenge Brink and Reckermann for the laurels here in The Hague, the still relatively young Dutch pair was even able to set the pace of the game in the second set. Boersma/Spijkers, supported by a large crowd, went up 8:5 but their rivals found their way back in the game, leveling at 11 before they flipped the charts around and never looked back. Brink served long to dissipate a first match ball that somehow re-opened the door for the orange guys but he and partner Reckermann stayed cool to finish it off with a block.


    “This is the perfect end of an already memorable week and I can only praise Jonas for the great performance he has delivered after such a long break” stated Brink. “We were tired and gradually ran out of fuel and for this reason Julius got the responsibility for the block by the last phases of the match. I am very proud of this victory because it is not self-evident, especially as this was our first tournament of the year. Our motivation and fighting spirit made the difference this time more than the technical skills” added Reckermann, evidently pleased with his comeback to the international scene which couldn’t have been more successful.

  • This tournament has been a real pleasure for me, because two of my favourite pairs - Julius Brink/Jonas Reckermann and Emiel Boersma/Daan Spijkers - meet in the final. Julius and Jonas had disappeared for a while and I felt sad to miss them in Shanghai. However, obviously they come back in good shape by defending their Euro Champion title. I can't wait to see their performance in Moscow next week, a real come back in the World Tour!


    As for Daan and Emiel, they are absolutely two stars this year, especially after they won two back-to-back Grand Slam 5th place in Shanghai and Beijing before they made the splendid runners-up in Euro Championship. I met Daan and Emiel in Shanghai, and of course I asked for an autograph. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo with them. (I was chasing Todd/Phil by that time so I missed them. Big shame.) But it is absolutely delightful to see them having a successful season so far. Daan appeared on FIVB World Tour Show Highlights of Beijing. It was a very interesting interview and I have the feelings that he might be another FIVB Hero later, because he really is a hero. I should say beach volleyball is quite a different sport in which shorter players can make their own achievements, while Daan's spirit and attitude is very impressive.


    So, com'on guys. Fight for the Olympics! :box:

  • Nice, we have another fan of beach volley in our community :) Good to know you liked the Euro champ. I was away for the weekend and couldn't watch anything, but I think I saw at least the final game uploaded in laola1, so I will download it and watch it soon. And yes, you are totally lucky to live in a place with a World Tour event!

  • I just noticed the temperature of the final day was 10 degree centigrade! I believe it feels freezing especially on the beach!
    So, no wonder that Julius and Jonas even wore socks :what: :what: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


    Besides, despite the loss in the final, Daan and Emiel still raised their ranking in the Olympics Rankings. Now they're the 16th pair to go to London temporarily. They must fight as tight as previously this season in Moscow and Rome. I believe they will finally show on the Olympics stage. :win: