Joadel Gardoque of France and Sofia Izuzquiza of Spain earned their very first gold medals on the Beach Pro Tour at the 2025 Montpellier Futures event, showcasing top-tier performances throughout the tournament.

The event brought together 25 men’s and 26 women’s teams representing 21 different nations. In the men’s final, Gardoque and teammate Elouan Chouikh-Barbez put on a stellar display, edging out Austrian Olympians Robin Seidl and Alexander Huber in a thrilling three-set match: 16-21, 22-20, 15-12. The bronze medal in the men’s competition went to Spain’s Alvaro Viera and Antonio Saucedo.

On the women’s side, 19-year-old Izuzquiza, a former U19 World Championship silver medalist, partnered with Sofia Gonzalez. The Spanish duo overcame French players Elsa Descamps and Anouk Dupin in another fiercely contested final, winning 21-17, 14-21, 15-9. Bronze went to Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig of the United States, who had fought their way through the qualification rounds.

Support from Volleyball Empowerment

All medal-winning teams benefited from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program, which provides coaching, training, and infrastructure resources designed to elevate national team development. Gardoque’s result marks his first-ever medal and top finish at any professional level on the Tour, while the victory strengthens Izuzquiza’s promising transition to senior competition.

Looking Ahead

The next event on the Beach Pro Tour schedule is the Leuven Futures, which will take place in Belgium from July 18–21. The Montpellier tournament highlighted emerging talent and reaffirmed the growing global competitiveness of beach volleyball.

For more details, visit the official article on the FIVB website.