Stavanger, Norway, July 5, 2009 - Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann established themselves as one of the top Beach Volleyball teams on the planet as the Germans captured the Gold Medal here Sunday by defeating tandems from Brazil and the United States at the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships presented by ConocoPhillips.

Seeded third in the 48-team event, Brink and Reckermann won eighth-straight matches the past 10 days on the dockside courts in this southwestern Norwegian port city to claim the US$60,000 first-place prize in the most prestigious Beach Volleyball event outside of the Olympic Games.

Brink and Reckermann opened play Sunday by scoring a 21-17, 16-21 and 15-10 semifinal win in 67 minutes Sunday morning over second-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers of the United States, the reigning Olympic and world champions.

After Dalhausser and Rogers earned their spot on Sunday's podium with a win over a second German team in this week's men's "final four", Brink and Reckermann claimed their world championship with a 21-16 and 21-19 win over top-seeded Alison Cerutti and Harley Marques of Brazil in the 50-minute gold medal match in front of a packed house of over 8,000 excited fans at the Vaagen Harbour centre court.

Alison and Cerutti, who split $45,000 for placing second, advanced to the gold medal match with a 21-18 and 21-11 semi-final victory in 49 minutes over sixth-seeded David Klemperer and Eric Koreng of Germany. The win was extended Alison and Harley's FIVB matching winning streak to 15 as Brink and Reckermann's victory was only the third setback for the Brazilians in 32 matches this season.

In the third-place match, Dalhausser and Rogers rebounded with a 21-11 and 21-16 Bronze Medal victory in 42 minutes over Klemperer and Koreng. With their third-straight win over the Germans, including an elimination victory at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Dalhausser and Rogers split $35,000. Klemperer and Koreng share $28,000 for fourth.

The $1-million SWATCH FIVB World Championships also featured women's action where Americans Jen Kessy and April Ross defeated Brazilians Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca 30-28 and 23-21 in 58 minutes to win the gold medal on Saturday. The next stop for men and women is this coming week in Switzerland for the 1To1 Energy Grand Slam in Gstaad, the site of the 2007 world finals.