4th WMC Beach Volleyball 2023 - Final Competition Day
France crowned world military champions in men's and women's
NEGOMBO BEACH (SRI) - The action-packed 4th World Military Beach Volleyball Championship 2023 concluded yesterday, February 17, 2023, with unforgettable memories for fans in the coastal city of Negombo. A total of 90 matches were played over a five-day period, with many fans gathering in Negombo Beach on the final day to witness the highest level of finals. The Grand Final and Awards Ceremony was graced by the presence of CISM Secretary General, Navy Captain Roberto Recchia and Sri Lanka's Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapakse, as chief guests.
In the men's competition, the gold medal match saw the Frenchmen Olivier Barthelemy and Samuel Cattet facing the German duo of Lukas Pfretzschner and Robin Sowa. After a first set narrowly won by the French pair (21/19), the Germans came back to their opponents' level by winning the second set (21/17). Everything was going to be decided in the last decisive set and, in this little game, the French were the best. Winners of the last set on the score of 15/10 at the end of the suspense, Samuel Cattet and Olivier Barthelemy became military world champions at the end of a tournament mastered from beginning to end!
In addition to the silver medal won by Lukas Pfretzschner and Robin Sowa, the German delegation also won a second medal thanks to the bronze won by Paul Henning and Sven Winter in the match for the third place against the Omani Ahmad Al Housni and Haitham Al Shereiqi (28/26; 21/17).
France even achieved the double thanks to its women's team. Indeed, Aline Chamereau and Clémence Vieira were opposed to the local pair composed of Deepika Bandara and Kushani Tharuka during the great female final. And it is the French duo which emerged at the end of the two sets won 21/9 and 21/14. The French women lived up to their status as favourites throughout the tournament and thus bring back to France a well-deserved military world title.
In the bronze medal match, two Sri Lankan pairs were fighting for the third place. And it is Prasadini JHD and Thushari JWP who managed to climb on the podium by defeating Gunasinghe HNL and Priyamali MHHM in two dry sets (21/18 ; 21/12).
At the end of the competitions, the representatives of the delegations attended the Medal Awarding Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony of the event which were attended by the Secretary General of CISM, Navy Captain Roberto Recchia; Chairman Organizing Committee, Air Vice Marshal Nishantha Thilakasinghe; Director General Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Wickremaratne; Director General Aeronautical Engineering, Air Vice Marshal Ranjith Senanayake; Base Commander SLAF Base Katunayake, Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera; Director General Welfare, Air Commodore Suharshi Fernando; Director Sports SLAF, Air Commodore Senaka Fernandopulle; Director Sports SL Army, Brigadier Nalin Banaranayake; Director Sports SL Navy, Commodore Roshan Athukorala and senior tri-forces officers from both local and foreign.
Navy Captain Roberto Recchia, CISM Secretary General, took the floor during the Closing Ceremony: “This event took place in a fantastic environment, in this wonderful country, with the courts made of golden sand, under a challenging warm sun and, sometimes, a pleasant wind. Just to say that everything was just perfect, as perfect was the high level of the organization, run by professional and devoted personnel”.
He also added: “It will be impossible to forget this experience. For this reason, sure to express the common feeling of all of us that travelled here to Negombo beach, I wish to congratulate and deeply thanks the Sri Lanka Armed Forces for the high professionality demonstrated in organizing this Championship”.
Thank you to Sri Lanka for hosting this wonderful championship and see you from March 27 to April 1 for the next sporting event on the CISM calendar, the 55th World Military Ski Championship to be held in Boden, Sweden!
(Source: Sri Lanka Armed Forces)
