Germany’s Janne Uhl and Paula Schurholz captured their first-ever Beach Pro Tour gold medal after an impressive victory at the Madrid Futures tournament. The final saw them overcome France’s Alex Merle and Anouk Dupin in a thrilling three-set match, 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 20-18), marking a major milestone for both players.
The event was a showcase of athletes supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, a development program funding national federations. Both the German and French duos were beneficiaries of the initiative.
Uhl, 19, and Schurholz, 23, dropped just one of their six matches in Madrid—against Spain’s top-seeded Olympians Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno in the Pool A final. In the semifinals, the ninth-seeded Germans battled past Slovenia’s Tjasa Kotnik and Maja Marolt with a 2-1 (21-12, 11-21, 15-12) victory. Their gold marks their third career medal on the Beach Pro Tour, adding to a previous silver and bronze.
French Duo Merle and Dupin Take Silver
Merle and Dupin reached the final undefeated, winning four matches in a row. Their semifinal victory came after Alvarez and Moreno withdrew due to injury, guaranteeing the French team their first medal together. For Dupin, it was her second medal this season—she previously won gold at the Valencia Futures in early May with partner Saofe Duval.
Slovenia Secures Bronze
Kotnik and Marolt took the bronze after a forfeit by the Spanish team. It was their second Beach Pro Tour podium finish, with their last medal—a silver—coming at the Ljubljana Futures in 2022.
FIVB Empowerment Drives Success
The German Volleyball Federation’s beach volleyball program received CHF 144,000 in coach support through FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. This funding helped bring on Fabian Tobias as National Coach for Science. France’s volleyball federation received a total of CHF 1,011,000 in coaching support and CHF 4,500 in equipment. Their women’s duos are currently coached by Youssef Krou.
International Participation and What’s Next
The Madrid Futures tournament featured 27 women’s teams from 16 countries. The Beach Pro Tour now moves to two new locations. Futures events will be held in Spiez, Switzerland from May 21–25, and in Wuhan Qingshan, China from May 22–25.
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