Taru Lahti-Liukkonen and Niina Ahtiainen won the Challenge level tournament.
Taru Lahti-Liukkonen and Niina Ahtiainen cheered the beach volleyball Challenge tournament victory in the Maldives. FIVB
The Finns reached a historic achievement in the Challenge-level beach volleyball tournament in the Maldives. For the first time ever, the Finns were on the podium in pairs.
Taru Lahti-Liukkonen and Niina Ahtiainen are celebrating the tournament victory, while Sara Sinisalo and Anniina Parkkinen completed the celebrations with a bronze farm.
29-year-old Lahti-Liukkonen and 25-year-old Ahtiainen celebrated Finland’s first women’s world tour tournament victory in an exciting final. of Austria Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig lost the set 21–16, 23–21.
Lahti-Liukkonen and Ahtiainen earned a total of $10,000 in prize money from the tournament and each 400 ranking points, which are the best of their careers.
– Unfathomable tournament. Niina and Taru have performed promisingly throughout the summer and it was assumed that at some point the pieces would fall into place. Still, winning a competition at the Challenge level is really hard, head coach Toni Vahela beamed in the announcement of the Finnish Volleyball Association.
– Anniina and Sara’s bet here was to write the story from the best end. The only joint tournament for them this summer. So wonderful that there were four Finns on the podium singing our country’s song.
Ahtiainen was beaten by the old man after the historic achievement.
– It’s an incredible feeling, and you still don’t really understand what happened. Proud of how we managed to push to the end and rise from difficult places in this tournament. Now let’s enjoy.
18-year-old Sinisalo, who was one of the youngest players in the tournament, won bronze with his partner through the qualifiers. They played no less than eight games, winning six of them. In Sunday’s semifinal, the Austrian pair was better 19–21, 18–21, but in the bronze medal game, the American pair Emily Stockman and Megan Kraft bowed 21–18, 20–22, 15–13.
A total of 7,000 dollars in prize money and 360 ranking points will be awarded to both of them for the bronze place. The ranking points are the highest for them as well, and for Sinisalo the tournament was even the first in the main series at this level.
– The week exceeded all expectations in every way! Getting to the main series of the Challenge level for the first time and for the first time to the medals of an international tournament is almost speechless.
The Challenge is the second highest level of the world tour after the Elite16 tournament. Lahti-Liukkonen and Parkkinen have been a pair at a similar level twice before with medals in 2018 and 2019.
The next Challege tournament of the world tour will be played on October 22. in Dubai. The Finns include Lahti-Liukkonen and Ahtiainen and Sara Sinisalo together with her sister Ida Sinisalo-Peltonen with. In addition, there are siblings Katja and Tuuli Metsäbirku.
Sara Sinisalo and Anniina Parkkinen won bronze after exciting stages. FIVB