Gstaad, Switzerland, July 11, 2015 - After a pair of ninth-place finishes in the last two FIVB World Tour events in the United States and The Netherlands, Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca regained their gold medal form here Sunday by defeating compatriots Fernanda Alves and Taiana Lima in the women’s final at the US$800,000 Gstaad Major.It was the seventh-straight gold medal finish on the international circuit for the South American country as the top-seeded Talita and Larissa captured the top spot on a FIVB World Tour podium for the third-time this season by posting a 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) win in 32 minutes over the fourth-seeded Fernanda and Lima.In collecting the $57,000 first-place prize with their seventh FIVB World Tour gold medal in 12 international starts together, Talita and Larissa avenged a setback to their Brazilian rivals. Fernanda and Lima won the only other match between the two teams last July at the Dutch Grand Slam in The Hague 2-1 (21-15, 15-21, 21-19) in 52 minutes. The 2014 Dutch event was Talita and Larissa’s first-ever tournament together on the international circuit.In their first two events this season Talita and Larissa captured gold medals at the Russian Grand Slam and the Porec Major before losing in the “Sweet 16” at the American Grand Slam in St. Petersburg and last week’s FIVB “senior” Beach Volleyball World Championships in The Netherlands. The Brazilians ended last season with four-straight gold medal finishes in Austria, Poland, Brazil and Argentina after placing ninth in 2014 stops in The Hague and the United States.Talita and Larissa advanced to the finals with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) win in 35 minutes over ninth-seeded Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan for the Brazilians third-straight win over the Canadians on the FIVB World Tour. After losing a pool play match at the end of May to Bansley and Pavan in Russia, Talita and Larissa scored two wins last month at the first SWATCH Major Series event in Croatia highlighted by a gold medal victory over the Canadians in Porec.The fourth-seeded Fernanda and Lima, who shared $43,000 for second-place, advanced to their second-straight FIVB World Tour gold medal match this season by gaining a forfeit win over seventh-seeded April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States. Walsh Jennings was not able to play Saturday due to injuring her right shoulder again in the second set of a quarter-final match Friday against Brazilian world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas.By finishing first Saturday, Larissa captured her fourth Gstaad gold medal and Talita her second on the Swiss Alps village center court. Talita and Maria Antonelli defeated Larissa and Juliana for the 2009 Gstaad title. Larissa and Juliana Felisberta won the Swiss gold medal in 2005, 2010 and 2011. The pair also placed third in 2007 at the world championships in Gstaad and second in 2009 after missing the 2008 due to Juliana’s injured knee in a previous tournament in Paris that forced her to withdraw from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.With the Gstaad Major being the 286th women’s FIVB World Tour event, Brazil advanced a team to a gold medal match for the 207th-time with Saturday’s finale being the 55th featuring two teams from the South American country. Overall, Brazil has captured 144 gold medals on the international circuit while increasing their total medal count to 380.With Bansley and Pavan netting the bronze medal and a $32,000 payday via the forfeit by Ross and Walsh Jennings, it marked the pairs’ third podium placement this season after placing second to Brazilian tandems in Prague (Agatha/Barbara gold medal winners) and Porec (Talita/Larissa). Prior to the 2015 FIVB season, a Canadian women’s team had never placed on the podium in a world tour event.Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas, who lost Bansley and Pavan Friday in an elimination match to place ninth this week, netted the first two Canadian women’s medals by topping the podium in the 2015 season-opening event in China (Fuzhou) and placing third in the next event in Lucerne, Switzerland. Broder and Valjas also placed fourth in Porec where the Canadians lost to Talita and Larissa in the semi-finals.Following the Gstaad Major where play concludes Sunday with the men’s medal matches, the FIVB World Tour takes a week off before resuming in the inaugural Yokohama Grand Slam July 21-26. It will mark the first-time that both men and women have competed together in Japan in a FIVB World Tour event. Seven FIVB men’s only events were held in Japan from 1989-1995, including a 1991 on stop in Yokohama. A total of 14 women’s only events were held in Osaka from 1994-2005 and in 2008 and 2009.