The sands of Montpellier recently witnessed a significant moment for emerging talent on the Beach Pro Tour. The Futures event concluded with two players reaching the pinnacle of the podium for the very first time in their professional careers, signaling potentially bright futures powered, in part, by international development initiatives.
Men`s Tournament: Home Glory and a First for Gardoque
In the men`s competition, French duo Joadel Gardoque and Elouan Chouikh-Barbez delivered a performance to delight the home crowd, securing the gold medal. For the 22-year-old Gardoque, this victory marked not only his first gold but his inaugural medal of any kind on the Beach Pro Tour – quite the way to start a collection. His partner, 23-year-old Chouikh-Barbez, added this gold to a previous top finish, demonstrating growing consistency.
The French pair navigated the tournament without dropping a single match, culminating in a tense final against the experienced Austrian Olympic veterans Robin Seidl and Alexander Huber. After dropping the first set, Chouikh-Barbez and Gardoque demonstrated composure beyond their years to stage a comeback, winning 2-1 (16-21, 22-20, 15-12) to claim the title.
The silver medal went to the seasoned Austrian team, while the bronze was claimed by Spain`s Alvaro Viera and Antonio Saucedo, who secured their second consecutive third-place finish on the tour.
Women`s Competition: Teenage Dream for Izuzquiza
The women`s tournament saw another breakthrough star. Spanish teenager Sofia Izuzquiza, just 19 years old and a silver medalist at last year`s U19 Beach Volleyball World Championship, earned her first Beach Pro Tour gold medal. Partnering with Sofia Gonzalez, the Spanish duo celebrated their second joint podium finish, upgrading their recent bronze in Krakow to gold in Montpellier.
Izuzquiza and Gonzalez showed dominant form on their path to the final, winning all four preliminary matches in straight sets. Their final encounter against top-seeded French pair Elsa Descamps and Anouk Dupin proved a tougher test, requiring three sets (21-17, 14-21, 15-9) to secure the victory. Descamps and Dupin earned a well-deserved silver medal.
The bronze medal match featured an interesting story: Americans Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, who entered from the qualification rounds, secured third place. This result followed their gold medal performance just last week in Geneva. Talk about hitting the ground running – two tournaments, two medals, including a streak of 12 straight wins before the Spanish pair finally stopped them in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Anouk Dupin from the silver-medal winning French team extended her remarkable season consistency, making her fifth consecutive podium appearance with various partners.
The Role of Empowerment
Notably, many of the teams reaching the podium in Montpellier, including both gold medal-winning pairs, are beneficiaries of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. This initiative provides crucial support, such as funding for national federation coaching and equipment, highlighting its role in nurturing talent and contributing to success on the international stage. It seems a little investment goes a long way.
The Montpellier Futures event featured 25 men`s and 26 women`s teams representing 21 countries, showcasing a diverse field of competitors. The Beach Pro Tour continues to provide valuable opportunities for players to gain experience and climb the ranks, with the next Futures stop scheduled for Leuven, Belgium, from July 18 to 21.
Marcus Blakely 
Wesley Dunham