PRUDEL/SZALANKIEWICZ Claim Kish Island 3-star Gold

Kish Island, Iran, February 24, 2018 – Poland’s Mariusz Prudel/Jakub Szalankiewicz stopped Latvia’s Martins Plavins/Edgars Tocs winning streak in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour with a 2-0 (21-18, 24-22) victory in the gold medal match of the MICA Mall Kish Island 3-star at the Kish Marine Recreation Sports Complex on Saturday.
Prudel/Szalankiewicz’s gold medal win completed Poland’s medal haul in Kish Island, where Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak previously won bronze and silver in the 2016 and 2017 editions, respectively.

“We are very happy that we finished a step higher than last year,” Prudel said. “Poland has a winning tradition here in Kish Island, where we finished with a medal in each tournament. We hope it will be the same again next year.”
Prudel/Szalankiewicz got the good breaks to win the opening set 21-18, but Plavins/Tocs persistently challenged them down to the final points in the second set. The Latvians saved four match points before Plavins’ net touch sealed Prudel/Szalakiewicz’s straight-set win 24-22.
“We are really happy and satisfied because we played a very good game against a very good team,” Prudel said. “That match with Plavins/Tocs was a spectacle. It was tough but it had a very nice level.”

“This is my first time here and I like the tournament,” said Szalankiewicz, who competed in his first-ever FIVB World Tour title match. “Last year, I had a problem because my partner had an injury, but fortunately this year is good. I am very happy that we won all our matches here.”

Earlier, Germany’s Alexander Walkenhorst/Sven Winter bagged the bronze after they recorded a 2-0 (21-18, 21-11) win over Austria’s Julian Horl/Tobias Winter.