Aug. 17, 2025: Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (both of Toronto, ON) defeated Germany’s Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann in the gold-medal match at the Beach Volleyball World Pro Tour Elite16 event in Montreal, Quebec, on Sunday

The score was 2-0 (21-15, 22-20) with Canada dominating the first set, and then putting on a show in front of the partisan crowd to win the second in extra points.

"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 go 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!"

The pair did not disappoint the jam-packed fans in the stands at Parc Jean-Drapeau throughout the tournament.

"We were so looking forward to being able to reunite with this crowd,” said Wilkerson. Canada won this event the last time it was held in Montreal in 2023 and then followed the next year with an Olympic silver medal in Paris.

"We knew this was going to be tough" continued Wilkerson. "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.”

Earlier in the semis on Sunday, Canada beat their Olympic rivals and Paris 2024 gold medalists Ana Patrícia/Duda of Brazil 2-0 (21-11, 22-20) to advance, and then the Brazilians took bronze over Tina/Anastasija of Latvia in a 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) match later in the day.

Olympic medalists Anders Mol/Christian Sørum of Norway won gold over Hölting Nilsson/Andersson of Sweden in the men’s tournament 2-0 (21-19, 21-13). It was also a repeat on the men’s side, the Norwegian team had won gold in Montreal the last time it was held in the city in 2023.

Local organizers were thrilled with Canada’s win and the support of the volleyball community and sports fans in Montreal.

"We are proud to have hosted the Montréal Beach Pro Tour this year! With over 20,000 fans filling the stands, the site was electric and the athletes were carried by an incredible atmosphere throughout five days of competition! This event has earned its place in Montréal’s sporting calendar. Following this success, we look forward to welcoming fans and the beach volleyball community back for the next three years," said Joseph Limare, General Manager of the Montréal Beach Pro Tour.

Germany will host the next Beach Pro Tour Elite event of the 2025 season, as the city of Hamburg will be the next stop later this month, from August 27-31.

Canada had three teams in the main draw in Montreal:

Canada’s men’s team of Jonny Pickett (Wiarton, ON) and two-time Olympian Sam Schachter (Richmond Hill, ON) finished 13th overall.

Also a respectable 13th, but in the women’s tournament, were the pair of Marie-Alex Bélanger of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, QC, and Lea Monkhouse of Mississauga, ON.

More on international teams, results and photos can be found here.

Photo: Volleyball World

Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
Mobile: 1.613.794.7676