Sun, sand and the Swiss Alps! The fourth edition of the Swatch Major Gstaad beach volleyball tournament took place July 10-15 in the beautiful Swiss mountain town of Gstaad where the world’s best beach volleyball teams bumped, set, spiked and blocked for the famous “golden cowbell.”
Beach vibes were turned up to the max in the Beach Village in front of the stadium where fans enjoyed lounge chairs and shade under big beach umbrellas. Swiss musician and songwriter James Gruntz entertained spectators with a free concert on Sunday and throughout the tournament, visitors participated in a range of exciting activities including public viewings of the soccer World Cup games, Beach Village parties and beach volleyball workshops for the stars of future Swatch Major Gstaad tournaments. In the on-site Swatch Truck, fans could browse the newest collections and purchase the exclusive “Swatch Major Gstaad 2018” event watch.
Our Swatch Proteam duos put on a great show for fans. Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vergé-Dépré made it to the round of 24 but unfortunately lost when Joana suffered an injury while playing against Marleen Van Iersel and Joy Stubbe from the Netherlands. Get well soon, Joana! Our Proteam men’s duo – Alex Horst and Clemens Doppler – made it to the round of 16 and lost to Spain’s Pablo Herrera Allepuz and Adrián Gavira Collado.
In the end, Melissa Humana-Parededs and Sarah Pavan had their names engraved on the golden cowbell – a major step up from the bronze they won last year. The volleyball Vikings Anders Mol and Christian Sørum from Norway made history as the youngest-ever winners of a Major event and ended a 20-year wait for Norwegian gold on the World Tour.
As in previous years, the tournament in Gstaad was a blast. Where else can you see beach bums and cowbells in the same place? Up next is the A1 Major Vienna presented by Swatch on July 31-August 5. Stay tuned!
