The Americans and the Japanese topped the podium in the World Tour two-star event in Jinjiang

• Facebook
• Twitter

Japan's Sayaka Mizoe and Suzuka Hashimoto have won their second World Tour gold together (Photocredit: FIVB)

The American team of Trevor Crabb/John Mayer and the Japanese duo of Sayaka Mizoe/Suzuka Hashimoto have both won their second gold medals in the 2018 beach volleyball World Tour as the tandems prevailed in the two-star tournament in Jinjiang, China, this weekend.

Playing in just their third tournament together, Crabb, who’s Sean Rosenthal’s former partner, and Mayer defeated Germans Nils Ehlers and Lorenz Schumann in three sets (21-13, 18-21, 17-15) in the Jinjiang’s final. It was the 12th straight World Tour victory for the team, which also won the three-star event in Lucerne in May.

China’s Peng Gao and Yang Li claimed the bronze medal after a straight-set win (21-16, 21-11) over Germany’s Max Betzien and Jonathan Erdmann.

In the women’s tournament, Mizoe and Hashimoto, who had won the one-star Tuan Chau Island event in Vietnam in May, dominated the Chinese Taipei’s Nai-Han Kou and Pi Hsin Liu to a three-set victory (21-13, 19-21, 15-5) in the gold medal match.

#jinjiang2star ⭐︎⭐︎ We got a GOLD !!!🏆🥇🇯🇵 日本人初の2スターでの金メダル🥇 沢山の応援ありがとうございました📣😊 その日の調子や風や砂などの環境、劣勢からの立て直し。。課題が沢山あるけど、全勝した事は自信にして、また頑張ります。 . 🍾🍾🍾🍾 シャンパンファイト初体験の若者達😂 スズチヨレイカはみんなして開けられなくて四苦八苦...🤣🤣 . 次の大会は6/9.10に神奈川県の平塚市で行われる【ガラナ・アンタルチカ杯】です！ホームビーチでの大会！観戦無料ですので、是非みなさん会場までお越しください！皆さんに会場でお会いできるのを楽しみにしています🤗 #beachvolleyball #fivb #worldtour2star #jinjiang #china #goldmedal #champion #ビーチバレーボール #japan #toyota #athome #descente #glicopowerproduction #oakley #globalwifi #筋肉女子 #腹筋女子

185 Likes, 12 Comments - 溝江明香 Sayaka Mizoe (@sayakamizoe) on Instagram: "#jinjiang2star ⭐︎⭐︎ We got a GOLD !!!🏆🥇🇯🇵 日本人初の2スターでの金メダル🥇 沢山の応援ありがとうございました📣😊..."

Japan also won the bronze medal in Jinjiang as the duo of Reika Murakami and Chiyo Suzuki overcame the USA’s Bree Scarbrough and Aurora Davis in straight sets (21-12, 22-20).

Russians and Germans prevail in Alanya

In Alanya, Turkey, where a one-star event took place, Russia and Germany were the countries to top the podium after the victories of Ruslan Bykanov and Maksim Hudyakov among the men and Sarah Schneider and Viktoria Seeber in the women's tournament.

In the men’s event, Bykanov and Hudyakov finished on top after a 2-1 victory (21-13, 16-21, 15-11) over Turkey’s Murat Gigininoglu and Volkan Gogtepe. Ukraine’s Oleksii Denin and Denys Denysenko claimed bronze following a three-set win (18-21, 21-14, 17-15) against Switzerland’s Florian Breer and Yves Haussener.

Russia's Maksim Hudyakov during the men's final in Alanya (Photocredit: FIVB)

Among the women, Schneider and Seeber also needed three sets (18-21, 21-13, 15-13) to come back and frustrate the Turkish team of Bugra Eryildiz and Aleyna Vence in the gold medal match. Russia’s Daria Rudykh and Elizaveta Zayonchkovskaya completed the podium as they defeated Italy’s Silvia Constantini and Gaia Traballi 2-1 (21-15, 13-21, 15-12) in the bronze medal match.

The World Tour remains in China for another week as the city Nantong will host a two-star women’s tournament from June 7 to 10.