Lausanne, Switzerland, August 25, 2015 – Brazil’s world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas and Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt still top the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Rankings following the completion of the Long Beach Grand Slam.
Both pairs will now be competing in the latest FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event, the inaugural Olsztyn Grand Slam in Poland that is running from August 25-30. With less than a year to the start of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games and with qualification points on offer, the last Grand Slam of 2015 will be vital to teams with ambitions of competing on Copacabana Beach.
Agatha and Barbara top the women’s rankings with 5,420 points despite only having won silver in their three tournaments since winning gold at the Netherlands 2015, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships.
They lead Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan in second, with the Canadian duo enjoying their best season with two silvers and two bronze so far on the 2015 World Tour.
Two more Brazilian teams follow in third and fourth; Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes are third having won their fifth World Tour gold at Long Beach last time out, while World Championships bronze medallists Juliana Felisberta and Maria Antonelli are fourth.
Alison and Bruno lead the men’s rankings with 4,920 points having won all three tournaments since they were crowned world champions, including at Long Beach.
Behind them in second are compatriots Pedro Salgado and Evandro Goncalves on 4,360 points, helped in part by their World Championships bronze.
In third is the team that Alison and Bruno succeeded as world champions, Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, who have 4,300, while another Dutch team, Reinder Nummerdor and Christiaan Varenhorst are fourth on 3,980.