Blackpool, England, Sept. 20, 2009 -- In a classic battle of unbeaten teams under sunny Blackpool skies and light Irish Sea breezes, Poland’s ‘veteran’ team of Michal Kadziola/Jakub Szalankiewicz overcame the challenge they faced with the world’s best young adult men’s beach volleyball players to win the gold medal Sunday over Brazil’s ‘youthful’ team of Alvaro Filho/Vitor Gonsalves of the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships, for players under 21 years old.

With the poise and pride of veterans, both 20 year olds, Kadziola, from Dabrowa Gomicza and Szalankiewicz, from Staszow, displayed their experience by outlasting their younger 18-year old Brazilian opponents, Filho and Gonsalves, both of Joao Pessoa, in straight sets, 23-21 and 21-19 in the 45-minute event-ending men’s gold medal match on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Centre Court.

While Poland now has won three men’s medals in the history of this event, Brazil’s silver medal gives them an event-high six medals (three gold, two silvers and one bronze) and seven final four placements.

Kadziola, who helped Poland win its first gold medal in this event and third overall medal, was also awarded the SWATCH Most Outstanding Men’s Player of the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships.

Sunday’s men’s Bronze Medal match lit up Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach Centre Court with another exciting three-set sun-drenched shootout as Russia’s fourth-seeded Sergey Kostyukhin/Alexey Pastukhov came-from-behind and finally outlasted Germany’s 24th-seeded Armin Dollinger/Malte Stiel 13-21, 21-18 and 17-15 (Overtime) in 55 minutes.

In the Sunday’s men’s semifinals, Brazil’s Filho/Gonsalves defeated Germany’s Dollinger/Stiel 21-16 and 21-11 in 35 minutes and Poland’s Kadziola/Szalankiewicz came from behind for a three-set victory over Russia’s Kostyukhin/Pastukhov 19-21, 21-8 and 15-8 in 49 minutes.

Poland’s won both gold medals in this year’s event as Monika Brzostek/Kinga Kolosinka won the women’s gold earlier Sunday in Blackpool.