Latvia and Hungary were crowned winners of the 2023 ParaVolley Europe Silver Nations League, following their respective triumphant finishes on Sunday in University of Nottingham’s David Ross Sports Village.
In the men’s tournament, Latvia dethroned Poland, as the defending champions conceded the final 3-2 (25-16, 24-26, 14-25, 25-23, 15-12) to the 2022 bronze medallists.
Poland went on an undefeated run of five matches, while Latvia trailed second with four wins and one loss at the hands of Poland in the preliminary round. The final went on an unexpected turn when Aleksejs Berkis led Latvia to force a tiebreaker, which they eventually dominated to claim their historic victory.
Slovenia took the bronze medal – their second Silver Nations League medal after a silver in the inaugural edition of 2021. The Slovenians beat Hungary 3-2 (21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 24-26, 15-13) in their second five-set encounter of the day to secure the third-place finish.
Great Britain defeated Italy to complete pool play and settle for fifth, leaving Italy in sixth.
Hungary reclaimed gold in the women’s tournament, after missing last year’s competition. The Hungarians highlighted their dominant run with a perfect sweep led by MVP Viktoria Werkman.
On the final day, Hungary started with the victories against France and Great Britain, then capped it off with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-21) victory over Great Britain to secure the women’s title – their second following their success in 2021.
Great Britain and France finished second and third, respectively.
FINAL STANDINGS
Men
- Latvia
- Poland
- Slovenia
- Hungary
- Great Britain
- Italy
Women
- Hungary
- Great Britain
- France
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