Latvian beach volleyball duos wrap up European U18 Championship in Turkey
Paula Krieva and Estere Zaķīte finished sixth at the European U18 beach volleyball championship in Turkey, while Ernests Pastars and Renārs Lasmanis placed 12th in the men's competition.
The European U18 beach volleyball championship in Turkey has concluded, with two Latvian duos taking part.
Krieva and Zaķīte finish sixth
Seeded sixth, Paula Krieva and Estere Zaķīte played for fifth place on the tournament's final day but lost in three sets to Norway's Sina Straumsteil and Stine Finholt, dropping the decisive points after the third set had been level. Earlier in the same match-for-fifth stage, the Latvians defeated Lithuanian sisters Beatrise and Agata Mihalkevičiūtė.
The pair opened the tournament with a loss to a Spanish team, but wins over Serbian and French duos secured second place in their group and a spot in the knockout stage. There they beat a Croatian pair, then defeated a fifth-seeded Belgian duo in the round of 16, before falling in the quarterfinals to this year's world U18 champions from Greece.
Pastars and Lasmanis finish 12th
In the men's event, Ernests Pastars and Renārs Lasmanis won all three of their group matches against pairs from Turkey, Croatia and Finland, earning a direct spot in the round of 16. There they lost in two sets to a French duo who won bronze at this summer's world U18 championship and went on to reach the final of this tournament.
In the match for 9th-13th place, the Latvian pair lost a tight three-set contest to a Danish duo, finishing the tournament in 12th place.
