HEYER-LACIGA WIN SILVER

SWATCH-FIVB World Championship 2005

Berlin, Germany, June 26, 2005. The SWATCH-FIVB World Championship gold medal will continue to reside with a team from a South American country as Marcio Araujo and Fábio Magalhães captured the 2005 title by defeating Sascha Heyer and Paul Laciga of Switzerland here Sunday afternoon to conclude six days of competition on the Schloßplatz. Played before an over-flowing crowd of more than 8,000 Beach Volleyball fans with ideal weather conditions, the second-seeded Marcio Araujo and Fábio posted a 22-20 and 21-12 win in 42 minutes over the eighth-seeded Swiss to share the $62,000 first-place prize. Heyer and Laciga split $45,000 for second-place.

The win also gave Brazil its fourth SWATCH-FIVB World Championship gold medal in five events since 1997. Argentina claimed the 2001 crown when Mariano Baracetti and Martin Conde defeated Jose Loiola and Ricardo Santos for the world title in Klagenfurt, Austria.

For Marcio Araujo, the gold medal was "especially pleasing" since he felt that he and Benjamin Insfran missed a "golden opportunity" at the 2003 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. "We just overlooked the Americans and finished with a bronze," said Marcio Araujo. "Outside of being eliminated early from the Olympics last August, the third-place finish in Rio Worlds was the most disappointed I have been during my Beach Volleyball career."

With the only remaining Brazilian team left playing on the final day of the men's competition, Marcio Araujo and Fábio had to win nine-straight matches to claim their second SWATCH-FIVB World Tour gold medal together. Seven of the wins were in the elimination bracket after losing their opening match Wednesday to 31st-seeded Francisco Alvarez and Oney Ramirez Bernal of Cuba.

"Fábio is a very special player due to his size," added Marcio Araujo, who now has won nine SWATCH-FIVB World Tour gold medals. "He is very agile for his size and is a monster at the net. Benjamin and I were a very good team. With Fábio, I think we can challenge every weekend for a title. He makes me a better player."

Marcio Araujo and Fábio, who captured the Croatia event two weeks ago before placing third in Switzerland last Sunday, advanced to the finals with a 21-18 and 21-14 win over 43rd-seeded Marvin Polte and Thorsten Schoen of Germany. Heyer and Paul Laciga earned a 21-16, 19-21 and 15-13 win over the 13th-seeded Julius Brink and Kjell Schneider of Germany in Sunday's first semi-final match.

The title match was the 17th-time that the two countries have meet for a SWATCH-FIVB World Tour gold medal with Brazilians winning 13 of the previous 16 title matches. Overall, Brazil has claimed 107 gold medals in the 166 SWATCH "open" events since 1987.

In the bronze medal match, the Brink and Schneider needed three sets to defeat Polte and Schoen 16-21, 21-17 and 15-10 as the winner's split $35,000 for third-place. Polte and Schoen, the last entry into the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships after the withdrawal of teams from South Africa and France, shared $26,000. Schoen was also named the SWATCH most valuable player for the event.

The women's gold medal and the $62,000 first-place prize was won Saturday by Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States, who captured their second-straight world championship. The reigning Olympic champions, the 19th-seeded May-Treanor and Walsh posted a 21-17 and 21-17 win in 40 minutes over top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil. Walsh was also selected as the SWATCH most valuable player for the event.


2005 Men's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour Leaders (through June 26)

Rank, Team, Country, Points
1, Marcio Araujo/Fabio de Jesus Magalhaes, Brazil, 1,720
2, Paul Laciga/Sascha Heyer, Switzerland, 1,460
3, Harley Marques/Benjamin Insfran, Brazil, 1,320
4, Emanuel Rego/Ricardo Santos, Brazil, 1,280
4, Julius Brink/Kjell Schneider, Germany, 1,280
6, Christoph Dieckmann/Andreas Scheuerpflug, Germany, 1,020
7, Martin Conde/Jose Salema, Argentina, 980
8, Markus Dieckmann/Jonas Reckermann, Germany, 960
8, Kristjan Kais/Rivo Vesik, Estonia, 960
10, Martin Laciga/Markus Egger, Switzerland, 880
11, Franco Neto/Tande Ramos, Brazil, 820
12, Stefan Kobel/Patrick Heuscher, Switzerland, 720
13, Marvin Polte/Thorsten Schoen, Germany, 700


2005 Women's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour Leaders (through June 25)

Rank, Team, Country, Titles, Earnings
1, Larissa Franca/Juliana Felisberta Silva, Brazil, 3, $163,000
2, Jia Tian/Fei Wang, China, $89,000
3, Shelda Bede/Adriana Behar, Brazil, $86,000
4, Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh, United States, $62,000
5, Vasso Karadassiou/Vassiliki Arvaniti, Greece, $56,000
6, Stephanie Pohl/Okka Rau, Germany, $47,500
7, Rebekka Kadijk/Merel Mooren, Netherlands, $39,500
8, Simone Kuhn/Lea Schwer, Switzerland, $39,000
9, Ana Paula Connelly/Leila Barros, Brazil, $33,500
10, Tamara Larrea Peraza/Dalixia Fernandez Grasset, Cuba, $32,000
11, Efthalia Koutroumanidou/Maria Tsiartsiani, Greece, $31,500
12, Sandra Pires/Agatha Bednarczuk, Brazil, $30,500


For further information please visit www.fivb.org