Back together after six years, the Chinese topped the home team of Carol and Bárbara in the gold medal match in Brazil
Xia and Xue won the Itapema Challenge in their first tournament as partners since 2016
Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia became the first Chinese team to take gold at a Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge event with their victory in Itapema, Brazil, on Sunday.
Playing their first tournament together in more than six years, the Olympians silenced the home crowd at the Meia Praia Beach and defeated top-seeded Brazilians Carol Salgado and Bárbara Seixas 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) in the gold medal match. Americans Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil also made it to the podium in the Itapema Challenge, in third place.
- The Beach Pro Tour Itapema Challenge matches are available on demand on VBTV
The victory in Itapema was the third for the Chinese at the international level, with the first two having happened in their first stint as partners, which lasted between 2013 and 2016. Ten years ago, the 34-year-old Xue and the 26-year-old Xia triumphed in FIVB World Tour events in Phuket, Thailand, and Durban, South Africa. The two have now won six medals (three golds, one silver, two bronzes) in 21 international events.
Xia and Xue celebrate a point during the gold medal match
The victory in Durban ten years ago had been the last in Xue’s accomplished career – she now has 18 international gold medals. A Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist and a 2013 world champion, the Chinese star has struggled with a shoulder injury since 2015 and entered the Itapema Challenge after nearly two years of inactivity.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect this result,” Xue commented. “We set a very realistic goal, which was making it to the elimination rounds and then going step by step and I think we did a great job here. More important than the result here was what we managed to do on the court. After so many years separated, each match has been a new experience for us. We just wanted to do our best and compete.”
A Tokyo Olympian, Xia won her fifth international title this week in Itapema. Besides the triumphs with Xue in 2013, the defender also topped the podium in an FIVB World Tour event in Nantong, China, in 2017, and in last year’s Beach Pro Tour Leuven Futures, paired with Meimei Lin.
“Winning this gold medal here was an excellent start for us being our first tournament together after so long,” Xia added. “We fought for every ball and that’s what took…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Asian Volleyball Confederation…