Lena and Kathi see off Dutch to take first World Tour title

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Lena and Kathi won their first ever World Tour gold in Turkey - congratulations girls!

Lena Plesiutschnig and Katharina Schützenhöfer were the toast of Turkey as the Austrian duo took home their first ever FIVB World Tour gold with a stunning victory over Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands in the three-star tournament in Mersin.

The Austrians who were reunited as teammates at the start of this season, also picked up a 10,000 USD check for their brilliant 18-21, 25-23, 15-12 comeback victory over the experienced Dutch team in Mersin.

It was the team’s second World Tour medal of the 2018 season after they won bronze together in Sydney, Australia, in November.

Their road to gold also saw them beat a string of strong teams including Russia’s Birlova/Ukolova, Bloem/Sinnema of the Netherlands and Dubovcova/Strbova of Slokavia, who took the bronze medal.

GOLD - we did it 🥇💥💪🏽😱 !!! Nothing more to say- Thanks to everybody ❤️❤️

158 Likes, 4 Comments - Schützenhöfer/Plesiutschnig (@bvbteam_kl) on Instagram: "GOLD - we did it 🥇💥💪🏽😱 !!! Nothing more to say- Thanks to everybody ❤️❤️"

In the men’s tournament, Russians Leshukov/Sememov took gold, beating Czech Republic’s Perusic/Schweiner in the final. Cuban Olympians Diaz/Gonzelez took the bronze.

Germans prevail in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, in Cambodia, has also hosted a World Tour event this weekend as the city welcomed women’s teams for a two-star tournament. Young Germans Sarah Schneider, 22, who was competing in her first international event, and Anna Behlen, 23, won the gold medal after a 2-1 (17-21, 21-9, 15-8) victory over Japan’s Suzuka Hashimoto and Sayaka Mizoe. Russians Ksenia Dabizha and Daria Mastikova claimed bronze. 

Japan & Germany win in the Philippines

In Manila, Philippines, men and women competed for the titles of a one-star World Tour tournament. In the women’s event, Japanese Ayumi Kusano and Takemi Nishibori topped the podium following a 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) victory against Spain’s Maria Carro/Paula Soria. Paraguay’s Erika Bobadilla and Michelle Valiente won bronze, their first-ever World Tour medal.

In the men’s tournament, Germans Max-Jonas Karpa and Milan Sievers prevailed in the gold medal match as they defeated Russians Petr Bakhnar and Taras Myskiv in three sets (15-21, 23-21, 15-9). Swiss Gabriel Kissling and Michael Zandbergen claimed the bronze medal.

Next week, the World Tour will have two simultaneous tournaments happening with Lucerne, Switzerland, hosting a double-gender three-star event and Tuau Chan Island, Vietnam, staging a one-star women’s tournament.