What were our favorite stories from our week on the sand in Croatia? Read on…

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It was an incredible week!

After such a successful tournament it’s always difficult to choose our favorite story of the week…let alone five.

But here’s top five moments from an incredible Poreč Major 2016 to make you smile…Enjoy.

Ghana's Seidu Ajanako and Scott Sarpong. Photocredit: Swatch Major Series

#5 Ghana’s beach volleyball inspiration

They might have traveled to Poreč to play and lose just one game, but Africa’s only male team – Seidu Ajanako and Scott Sarpong of Ghana – humbled us with their story of inspiring the next generation of beach volleyball players on the continent. 

Brazilians top women faced an early exit

#4 So many shocks

Okay so this isn’t a definitive moment, but last year's Poreč Major certainly had a penchant for throwing up an upset. The exit of Brazil’s top two women’s teams at the second elimination stage was a major surprise.

Silver for Doppler/Horst - at last!

#3 Silver lining for Austrians

It was a long time coming but finally, after four years of waiting, Austria’s top team, Clemens Doppler and Alex Horst, reached the final of a tournament and won silver. Their semifinal was a particular highlight as a packed Center Court roared them to a comeback victory.

Chantal and Julia celebrate their extraordinary gold medal victory

#2 German girls grab gold and make history

Well we do love an underdog. Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude came through qualification and then just kept winning and winning and winning to eventually become the first qualifiers to win a Major Series competition. 

Not a spare seat in the house!

#1 Crowds pack Center Court

Next year it looks like we will need to get a bigger stadium! Our number one moment of the Poreč Major was the incredible number of beach fans who turned up in their thousands throughout the week. On Sunday, for the men’s final, there were queues of hundreds fans outside who watched the drama unfold on the big screens. What a day! What a tournament.

See you soon Poreč!