Brazilian duo Carol Solberg and Barbara Seixas have reclaimed the number one position in the women’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking after their victory at the Rio de Janeiro Elite16 on Sunday. Their impressive performance not only secured them the title but also allowed them to open a significant 440-point lead over Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, who had briefly held the top spot.
In a remarkable showing, Solberg and Seixas netted 740 of the 1,200 points awarded for their first-place finish, bringing their total to 7,220 points. The pair had previously dropped to third place just a week prior but returned to form by winning the tournament, solidifying their status as the top-ranked team in the world.
All medalists from the Rio tournaments made significant strides in the rankings. The USA’s Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft, who earned silver, rose from 23rd to 14th place, while Brazilian bronze medalists Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes jumped from 40th to 19th. Germany’s Sandra Ittlinger and Kim Van de Velde, competing together for only the fourth time, soared from 103rd to 53rd.
In the men’s competition, England’s Joaquin Bello and Javier Bello, who took gold in Rio, climbed nine spots to reach 17th place, their highest ranking to date. Argentina’s Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso, who finished second, moved up three positions, while Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots ascended ten spots to 13th and 35th, respectively, marking their highest rankings ever.
Norwegian duo Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, the reigning Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions, also made headlines by moving from sixth to second place in the men’s rankings after earning 900 points for their fourth-place finish in Rio. They now have a total of 7,400 points, trailing Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, who are in first place with a lead of 1,460 points.
The only other notable change in the men’s top 10 was Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who moved up from 10th to 9th, surpassing Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo.
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