Mexicans Gaxiola and Rubio settle for silver in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar, March 13, 2020 – Mexicans Josue Gaxiola and Jose Rubio had to settle for a silver medal after losing a tough battle with Polish Grzegorz Fijalek and Michal Bryl in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 4-Star Katara Beach Volleyball Cup gold medal match on Friday. 

The Polish duo defeated the Mexican pair 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 15-11) to claim their first World Tour gold as a team. 

They needed to hold their nerve after trailing early in the second set. However, a combination of Bryl’s prowess at the net and Fijalek’s swift footedness at the back of the court allowed them to fight back and control the rest of the match. 

“For us it wasn’t the best game of this tournament, but we are very, very, happy,” Fijalek said. “We started very nervously, but we expected that as they are young boys and have great rhythm and played well this week. 

“But we are very, very happy as it is our first tournament win and I hope we keep our shape in the next tournament.”

Fijalek and Bryl teamed up at the start of 2017 and since then they have won four silvers in 2018, and one silver and two bronze in 2019. They are currently fifth in the FIVB Olympic Rankings which means they are well on course for a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

Gaxiola and Rubio may have missed out on their first World Tour gold, but silver is their first World Tour medal on their first Tour event outside Mexico. 

“Poland are a very good team and very experienced,” Rubio said. “There is only one winner in a final, but we kept fighting to the end.

“It has gone well for our first World Tour outside Mexico. We are very pleased with how it all went here in Doha, now we want to carry on in the next tournaments.”

The pair won silver at the 2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball U16 World Championships, but since then they have competed predominantly on the NORCECA Tour in North and Central America, and the Caribbean. 

“It was a very intense week,” Gaxiola said. “It has been a very tiring week, but we will continue to work and push on in our next tournaments.”

Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai won the bronze with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) victory over Brazil’s Evandro Goncalves and Bruno Schmidt.