Reigning Olympic champions are now youngest world champions

Reigning Olympic champions David Ahman-Jonatan Hellvig are now also the new men’s world champions in beach volleyball. At 23 and 24, respectively, they are the youngest world champs ever.

In the all-Swedish gold medal showdown at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Adelaide, they persevered through two sets of their even younger compatriots Jacob Holting Nilsson-Elmer Andersson’s strong resistance to triumph with the crown.

The story from the Paris 2024 Olympics repeated, and after losing two of their three matches in the pool stage of the tournament, Ahman-Hellvig found their way to the top of the podium.

It was Sweden’s first-ever title in the history of the World Championships in either gender.

The two medals the northern European country picked up enriched its World Championship collection to a total of three, after Ahman-Hellvig’s silver at Tlaxcala 2023. In addition, Sweden became only the second country in history to have two teams playing against one another in a World Championship final.

Only Brazil has achieved such an exploit in the past, once in men’s competition and twice on the women’s side.

In a spectacular final, the more-experienced Ahman-Hellvig, seeded third in the draw, managed a 25-23, 21-19 victory over 20-year-old Holting Nilsson and 19-year-old Andersson, seeded seventh.

Holting Nilsson was the best scorer of the match with 25 points, including three kill blocks. Hellvig led the winners with 22, also featuring three blocking points. Ahman added 15, while Andersson finished with 12, including the only ace of the match.

“Of course, we’ve always dreamt of winning a World Championship title. We didn’t believe we would make it this time as I’ve been injured, but we just kept playing better and better every single game and now we are here! It’s crazy!” said an elated Ahman.

“It was just unbelievable and so cool that we had two Swedish teams in the final. And I’m just so proud of our team, of our coaches and, of course, of Jacob and Elmer as well!” Hellvig added.

Earlier on Sunday, Téo Rotar-Arnaud Gauthier-Rat made history, winning France’s first-ever medal in the tournament.

The Frenchmen faced German Olympic medalists Nils Ehlers-Clemens Wickler in the first match of the last day of action in Adelaide and secured the historic result by taking them down 21-15, 21-15 to finish third and earn a spot on the podium in Australia.

Meanwhile, Latvia’s Tina Graudina-Anastasija Samoilova triumphed as the new women’s world champions in beach volleyball. They defeated USA’s Kristen Nuss-Taryn Brasher in the gold medal showdown after a three-set battle.

It was not only Latvia’s first-ever World Championship title, but also the central European country’s first-ever World Championship podium in either gender.

Nuss-Brasher’s silver was their second medal in the competition, after the 2023 bronze they earned in Mexico. It was also USA’s 14th medal in the history of the women’s World Championships. Earlier on Sunday, Brazil’s Carol Solberg-Rebecca Cavalcanti claimed the Adelaide 2025 women’s bronze.

Fifth-seeded Tina & Anastasija went through the entire tournament dropping only a set in eight matches played, the second set in the 21-15, 15-21, 15-11 gold medal showdown against the third-seeded Nuss-Brasher.

With three aces under her belt, Anastasija emerged as the best scorer of the final on a total of 26 points. Tina chipped in with another 21 points, including two aces and a kill block. Brasher also finished with 21 points. Her tally featured three blocks and an ace. Valiant defender Nuss added 13 points for the US team.

“I can’t believe it!” said an emotional Tina after the final. “The game was so close. We constantly lost to them all the times that we had played. But today everything happened as we wanted. It’s amazing!”

“Big, big thank you to my partner Tina, to the entire team here and in Latvia and, of course, to our Latvian fans cheering for us. We are just so grateful for this journey, for this victory here… It’s just amazing! We are the luckiest and the happiest persons in the world right now,” Anastasija added.

Earlier in the bronze medal match, 38-year-old Carol Solberg and 32-year-old Rebecca Cavalcanti of Brazil made it to their first women’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship podium.

The number two team in the FIVB World Ranking and number two seed in the tournament earned bronze as they won the all-Brazilian third-place duel with the world’s number one, top-seeded Thamela Coradello-Victoria Lopes. It was Brazil’s 19th medal in the history of the women’s World Championships.

Carol & Solberg emerged victorious from a hard-fought straight-setter against their compatriots with a 21-18, 22-20 win.