Americans Brasher and Cruz finish at the top of

the Saquarema Elite to win their second gold in the season

SAQUAREMA, Brazil, April 12, 2026.- American Olympians Taryn Brasher and Kristen Cruz won the  gold medal of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite in Saquarema Brazil over the weekend.

Brasher and Cruz celebrated their success in Brazil, having won four gold medals in nine tournaments played in the country.

With their victory in Saquarema, they triumphed in a fourth different Brazilian city in three years, following victories in Uberlândia in 2023, Brasília in 2025 and João Pessoa last month.

With 12 medals won in their last 15 international events, Brasher and Cruz capped off their undefeated campaign in Saquarema with a straight-set (21-15, 21-15) victory over Paris Olympic silver medalists Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada in the gold medal match on Sunday.

"We just look at each other and trust each other every single time," Cruz said. "It doesn't matter what the score is, it's always 0-0 for us. And we just trust our training and know that when we get out on the court, we'll be able to compete. It's all about trust and all about our training."

The next Elite event of the Beach Pro Tour will also be held in Brazil, with the country's capital Brasília hosting the third of four tournaments of this category set to take place in Brazilian sand in 2026 from April 29 to May 3.