Melissa and Brandie take gold at Montreal Beach Pro Tour stop
If there’s one thing that Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson love, it’s playing in front of Canadian fans.
The Paris 2024 silver medallists took gold at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 stop in Montreal on Sunday. It was a back-to-back gold medal performance at the event for the Canadian duo, who won the event the last time it was held in Montreal the summer before the Olympic Games.
“There’s something magical about playing on home soil. Clearly for us, we thrive on this energy and this environment. This truly felt like a homecoming after the Olympic Games,” said Humana-Paredes. “Our goal was to perform at the highest level at this tournament, and I’m so glad it worked out. It was a highlight of the season so far for us – the emotions, the energy, the crowd. It was a peak moment for sure!”
In the semis on Sunday, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson defeated their Olympic rivals, the Paris 2024 gold medal team of Ana Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa of Brazil. The Brazilians went on to secure the bronze medal at the event.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson faced the German team of Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann in the final, and proved victorious with a score of 2-0 (21-15, 22-20).
“We knew this was going to be tough” Wilkerson said regarding the tournament. “I think some teams were trying to take advantage of the fact that a lot of the pressure and attention was on us, but we used it toward building momentum. These are amazing athletes that bring out the best in us. There were such exciting games and it was great to come out on top.”
