Team Canada won the silver medal at the 2022 Women’s World Beach Volleyball Championship on Sunday in Rome, Italy. The Canadian team of Brandie Wilkerson and Sophie Bukovec of Toronto, Ontario lost 21-17, 21-19 to Duda Santos Lisboa and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos of Brazil in the gold medal game.
This was a marvelous tournament for Wilkerson and Bukovec. The overall skill set for Bukovec was extremely impressive for her lack of experience at a major international women’s beach volleyball championship like a World Championship.
The future of Wilkerson and Bukovec is extremely bright. This is the second consecutive time a Canadian team won a medal at the Women’s World Beach Volleyball Championship. In 2019, Sarah Pavan of Kitchener, Ontario and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Toronto won the gold medal.
There was an unfortunate circumstance in the bronze medal game of the Women’s World Volleyball Championship. Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich injured her right shoulder during the third set, and the team of Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre had to withdraw against Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann of Germany, who eventually were awarded the bronze medal.
Norway’s Anders Moi and Christian Sorum won the gold medal in the world championship on the men’s side. The silver medals for Wilkerson and Bukovec will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
