Beach duo Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan golden in Vienna . Photo by FIVB

Canada’s 2019 World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan defeated Brazil’s Maria Antonelli and Carol Solberg 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) to win the US$600,000 A1 Major Vienna presented by Swatch in Austria today.

Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan
Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan

“It wasn’t our best match of the tournament, but somehow we kept finding ways to steal some points here and there. The first set was definitely a battle, as I think we were down 15-11, but we kept grinding,” said Pavan of Kitchener, Ontario.  “We’re just so happy…. We finally won Vienna.”

Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan
Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan

This is the third gold medal on the World Tour for the Canadians this season – they won the World Championships in Hamburg, the Edmonton 3-star in Alberta and now the Vienna Major, which is a 5-star event.

Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan
Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan

“It was our goal to win this one, and cap off this six-week stretch on a high note,” said Pavan.

“It’s been wild,” Humana-Paredes (Toronto, ON) said of their schedule over the past month and a half, “but with three gold medals and two top-ten results, we cannot complain.”

Brazil’s Agatha Bednarczuk and Duda Lisboa won the Vienna Major bronze medal yesterday 2-0 over Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima, also of Brazil.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, the gold-medal match was postponed due to weather.

Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan
Beach volleyball World Champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan

Other Canadian results in Vienna: Canada’s Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson were 17th, and in the men’s event Sam Pedlow/Sam Schachter – 17th and Ben Saxton/ Grant O’Gorman – 25th.