Ukrainian women win Euro beach volleyball gold for the first time, defeating French women in dramatic final
4 August 20:42
Marina Gladun and Tatiana Lazarenko became the first European champions in the history of Ukrainian beach volleyball. In the final of the tournament in Düsseldorf, Germany, they defeated the French duo Clemence Vieira/Aline Chamereau with a score of 2:1 (23:21, 18:21, 14:16). This is reported by Suspilne, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Prior to that, no Ukrainian women’s pair had even gone beyond the 1/8 finals of the continental championship (the best result among men was a bronze medal). This time, Gladun and Lazarenko made a historic breakthrough: in the playoffs, they defeated the Germans Linda Bock / Luisa Lipmann, the Dutch Mila Koenink / Raisa Schonn, and the Spaniards Daniela Alvarez Mendoza / Tania Moreno.
The Frenchwomen, who were ranked 11th in the world rankings (the Ukrainians were 12th), won the first set after the Ukrainian duo failed to realize five set points at 20:15. Vieira and Chamereau fought back and won the game with a score of 23:21.
In the second set, Gladun and Lazarenko regained the advantage. They kept a minimal gap all the time, and the final score of 21:18 equalized the match.
The third set turned into a real thriller: with the score tied at 13:13, the Ukrainians received a match ball, which they did not realize, but on the next attempt they forced their opponents to make a mistake on the reception. After the Frenchwomen sent the ball into the net, Gladun and Lazarenko won a historic victory – 16:14 in the deciding game.
“I have no words. It was very stressful, but we stayed together as a team to the end and won,” Marina Gladun admitted after the match.
“I can’t believe it happened,” added Tetiana Lazarenko, “Thank you all for your support.
🏆 Euro 2025. Final (women)
Clemence Vieira / Aline Chamereau (France) – Maryna Gladun / Tetiana Lazarenko (Ukraine) – 1: 2 (23:21, 18:21, 14:16)
This gold medal was the greatest achievement in the history of Ukrainian beach volleyball.
