Cubans Nivaldo & Sergio win bronze medal in Mersin

MERSIN, Turkey, May 6, 2018 – Cubans Nivaldo Diaz Nivaldo and Sergio Gonzalez won their first medal of 2018 when they defeated Swiss Mirco Gerson and Adrian Heidrich in the bronze medal match of the Mersin 3-Star Tournament to go alongside their 1-Star gold and 3-Star bronze in 2017.

“We played very well and we sided out very well,” Nivaldo said. “We made a few mistakes, one or two, but they made more than us and that’s why we finished with the victory. It was a quiet match, but my partner blocked very well.”

Russians Konstantin Semenov and Ilya Leshukov won their first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour gold when they beat Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of Czech Republic in the Mersin 3-Star gold medal match on Sunday. 

The Russian pair needed four match points, but eventually beat their Czech rivals 2-1 (14-21, 21-12, 18-16). It is the first time they have won a World Tour medal of any colour since they teamed up at the start of the year.