All-European Men’s Finale Successful for the Dutch in The Hague

Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil became the fourth European men’s Beach Volleyball team to win back-to-back titles in the 23-year history of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as the Dutchmen delighted the host country crowd to win the gold medal here Sunday at the US$380,000 The Hague Open Beach Volleyball 2009.

With two wins Sunday over teams from Estonia and Spain, the top-seeded Nummerdor and Schuil validated their gold medal finish last Sunday on the Finnish Isle of Aland where The Netherlands pair captured their first SWATCH FIVB World Tour this season by defeating reigning world champions Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany in the three-set finale.

Brink and Reckermann were the third team to accomplish the feat when the Germans won the world championships last month in Norway followed by Grand Slam wins in Switzerland and Russia. Norwegians Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide were the first Europeans to net back-to-back FIVB titles in 1994 with the Swiss brothers Laciga (Martin and Paul) on the top of two-straight podiums in 2002.