Thailand 2’s Nasuda Janmong and Saranya Laesood, avenging their lone loss of the competition, captured the women’s gold medal with a 21-13, 21-18 victory over BanKo-Perlas 1’s Dzi Gervacio and Bea Tan in the Beach Volleyball Republic On Tour Gran Ola, Lianga leg Sunday in Surigao del Sur.
Another international pair, the Austria-Norway tandem of Marian Klaffinger and Aleksander Sorum, ruled the men’s division following a 21-19, 21-14 win over Air Force’s Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez.
In their first time as partners, Klaffinger and Sorum also went perfect in the two-day double gender event, as everything clicked right from the get-go.
“It’s our first tournament. We spontaneously played this tournament. We had fun,” said Klaffinger, who played for Austria with Moritz Fabian Kindi in the FIVB Beach World Tour Manila Open last May.
“They (Air Force) played well. It was a tough match but I’m happy that we won it. We had some relatively easy matches at the beginning so that we could get together well. I’m happy that we played that good in the final,” he added.
Playing much better in the game that mattered most, the power-hitting pair of Janmong and Laesood made major adjustments in last Saturday’s 18-21, 17-21 loss to Gervacio and Tan in pool play to become triumphant.
Janmong and Laesood bested BanKo-Perlas 2’s Amanda Villanueva and Roma Doromal, 21-13, 21-18, to arrange a women’s championship duel with Gervacio and Tan, who foiled an all-Thailand showdown following a come-from-behind 18-21, 21-18, 15-13 over Kijja Khantarak and Sirinuch Kawfong.
Despite the tough loss, Khantarak and Sirinuch Kawfong still has something to celebrate of, as the pair claimed the bronze medal with a 21-16, 21-14 victory over Villanueva and Doromal.
In the quarterfinals, Gervacio and Tan rallied from a set down to beat Ateneo’s Ponggay Gaston and Jules Samonte, 19-21, 21-12, 15-3, while Villanueva and Doromal won over Lianga’s Leah Mae Pontillo and Maria Adabog.
Thailand 1’s Khantarak and Kawfong overpowered University of the Philippines’ Justine Dorog and Abi Goc, 21-12, 21-3, while their compatriots Janmong and Laesood bested National University’s Klymince Orilleneda and Antonnete Landicho, 21-16, 21-14.
Abdilla and Lopez prevailed over Davao 1’s Calvin Sarte and Edmar Flores, 21-19, 21-19, to set up a men’s Finals meeting with Klaffinger and Sorum, a 21-16, 21-13 winner over Malaysia’s Raja Nazmi Hussin and Mohd Aizzat Zokri.
Sarte and Flores outlasted Hussin and Zokri, 22-20, 12-21, 15-12 to clinch third place.
