The first day of the FISU Championship Beach Sports was a great success! Out of the four sports featured in the competition, three are already underway: beach soccer, beach handball, and beach volleyball!
A total of 79 matches took place from 9 AM to 4 PM local time.
Photos by Célio Júnior/FISU
In beach handball, the standout was the Polish women’s team, which won their first match against Chile with a score of 28 to 4. The Polish team also won the second match, which was a best-of-three, with a score of 22 to 16.
Sebastian Sagasti, a beach handball player from Uruguay, shared his thoughts on the first day and the team’s upcoming plans.
“The day went very well; we had only one match against Argentina and won. Now, we are enjoying the afternoon to get ready to play again tomorrow,” he said.
“Brazil is always the strongest, and we always compete against them in the finals. But we are four countries, and our expectation is to become champions,” he concluded.
In beach soccer, the highlight was the home team. In the women’s classic between Brazil and Argentina, the Brazilian team won 10 to 0.
Gabrielle Murphy, from the Bahamas beach soccer team, also shared a bit about her experience.
“The first day of competition was pretty good. We got the nerves out; we expected a different result, but now it’s time to pivot and adjust. We’ll come back harder and stronger. Tomorrow, I expect us to be more composed, fix a few things, and play our best while having fun,” she said.
Murphy also mentioned which sport she is most excited to watch besides beach soccer: “I want to see beach wrestling. I’ve never seen it before, so I’m pretty excited about it.”
Finally, in beach volleyball, the outcome remains uncertain with over 60 matches taking place on the first day alone. The second day promises a lot of excitement for both athletes and spectators!
You can view all the results from the first day and the schedule for the second day by clicking here.
7 Sep
