Golden sensation: Wittenberg duo triumphs at the beach volleyball World Cup!

Golden sensation: Wittenberg duo triumphs at the beach volleyball World Cup!

A brilliant event for the sport of volleyball: Julia Kopf and her partner Romy Richter won the gold medal at the Beach Volleyball World Championship for seniors in the over-34 age group on October 11th in Benidorm, Spain. This duo has truly come through on the Spanish sand, delighting the volleyball community across Germany. Julia Kopf, who began her volleyball career at SV Grün-Rot Wittenberge and was coached by her father Bernd-Peter Schmidt, was overjoyed with the success.

The challenge was great because Julia could not compete with her usual partner Christin Müller. Instead, she trained with Romy Richter in Karlshagen in the summer. Their joint preparation paid off as they won in the qualifying round against strong teams from the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia and thus advanced to the knockout phase. The quarter-final and semi-final matches were closely fought, but the two made it to the final where they faced a Spanish team. Julia emphasizes that the balanced composition of her team was the key to success and describes the final as particularly challenging.

Sporting roots and family support

Julia Kopf, who now lives in Buxtehude and works at Stade Hospital, has played volleyball in a wide variety of leagues - both indoors and on the sand. Despite her height of 1.76 meters, which is considered below average in the volleyball world, Julia has won the hearts of fans with her determination and experience. She particularly emphasizes the family support that enables her to balance work, sport and family. Her husband, Michael, also plays volleyball in Buxtehude, and she dreams of one day being on the field with her children.

With her latest success, Julia not only receives recognition from her work colleagues, but also attention from the media, which further strengthens the sport of volleyball in the region. Volleyball is booming in Germany: The German Volleyball Association had around 436,000 members in 2024, and the popularity of the sport is growing in both leisure and competitive sports. What is particularly noteworthy is that more women (222,170) than men (214,100) are members of German volleyball clubs.

Versatility and commitment to sport

The dynamic in volleyball sports is unbroken. Over 300 certified performance centers and numerous tournaments ensure that young talents are promoted. In the 2023/24 school year, more than 100,000 students took part in the “Youth Training for the Olympics” competition, reflecting the diversity and commitment in sport. The prizes and medals that German teams achieve in international competitions also ensure further interest and increasing membership numbers.

The successes of athletes like Julia Kopf are a real ray of hope. At a time when team spirit and shared experiences are more in demand than ever, beach volleyball is a great way to experience community and fun. The example of Julia and Romy shows that it is always possible to achieve great things in sport. It will be exciting to see how the volleyball scene continues to develop!

For more information on developments in volleyball and emerging careers in this fascinating field, visit the website of Northern Courier, Bellevue and United Volleyball.