Two young beach volleyball players have made a new mark in their sports history.
For the first time, our men’s pair stepped onto the podium at the European U22 Youth Championship.
19-year-old Dovydas Sinkevičius and 21-year-old Povilas Piešina won five consecutive matches in high-level competition in Madrid on their way to the final, where they suffered their only defeat in the tournament, ultimately earning silver medals.
“Training is important, but at least in my case, the mindset was the most crucial. There were tough moments, but I didn’t forget that I previously participated in the European U20 Championship in Italy, where we finished ninth, although I expected more. So this was like a second chance for me,” emphasized D. Sinkevičius, who returned from Madrid on Monday and was embraced by his loved ones at Vilnius airport.
- At the Madrid championship, the Lithuanians initially won two tough matches in the group stage – 2:1 (21:16, 19:21, 15:12) against Turks Ahmet Turas and Tuna Imdatas, and 2:1 (13:21, 21:14, 15:12) against Slovenians Benjamin Mugerli and Miha Kosancas.
- In the round of 16, P. Piešina and D. Sinkevičius defeated Poles Marcel Wanat and Jakub Krzeminski 2:0 (21:14, 26:24), and in the quarterfinals, they left no chance to Austrians Cooper Boyd and Alexander Sponeri with a 2:0 (21:13, 21:14) win.
- In the semifinals, after an impressive three-set drama, the Lithuanian beach volleyball players overcame Swiss Daniel Allemann and Mathis Kalin 2:1 (18:21, 21:14, 16:14).
- In the final, the Lithuanians challenged the tournament favorites, the world U21 champions from Latvia, Gustavs Auzins and Kristians Fokerots, but ultimately had to acknowledge their superiority 0:2 (18:21, 19:21).
“We started the competition somewhat uncoordinated, it was tough. Maybe it was good that the opponents underestimated us a bit. But then, when the guys got into their rhythm, the results changed. The guys worked very hard, listened to advice, it was a great trip,” rejoiced Lithuanian coach Tadas Donėla.
The silver duo at the European Championship on the Madrid sand was somewhat unusual for several reasons.
First, the height difference between the players is 23 cm, as P. Piešina is 208 cm tall, while D. Sinkevičius is 185 cm.
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