September7September 7, 2026

SHANGLUO, China — Australia completed a golden sweep of the 2026 AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Championship, with Stefanie Fejes and Taliqua Clancy capturing the women’s crown and Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher taking the men’s title to secure the country quota spots in both events for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

The victories capped a memorable championship for Australia in Shangluo, with the winners of the 2026 Continental Championships earning their respective National Olympic Committees quota spots for the 2028 Games.

In the women’s final, Fejes and Clancy overcame China’s Xu Yan and Xinyi Xia in straight sets, 23-21, 21-16, to claim the continental title.

The opening set developed into a tight battle, with the Australian pair holding firm in the closing points to take it 23-21. Fejes and Clancy then gained greater control in the second, closing out the match 21-16 to secure the women’s championship and an Olympic quota spot for Australia.

The men’s final was an all-Australian affair, with Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher facing compatriots Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood for the continental crown.

Nicolaidis and Carracher took the opening set 21-17 before Hodges and Hood responded with a 21-17 victory in the second to send the championship match into a tie-break. Nicolaidis and Carracher then prevailed 15-12 in the deciding set, completing a 2-1 victory and securing Australia’s second continental title.

The result meant Australia occupied both steps at the top of the men’s podium, while Nicolaidis and Carracher’s victory earned their National Olympic Committee the men’s beach volleyball quota spot for LA 2028.

Together with Fejes and Clancy’s women’s triumph, the result completed an impressive double for Australian beach volleyball, with the country emerging from Shangluo as champion in both competitions.

Under the Olympic qualification pathway, the winners of the 2026 Continental Championships earn their respective NOCs a quota spot for the LA 2028 Olympic Games. Australia’s sweep therefore secured quota places in both the women’s and men’s beach volleyball competitions.

The double triumph marked a significant milestone for Australian beach volleyball on the continental stage, combining two Asian titles with an important step on the road to Los Angeles.

Australia leaves Shangluo with both AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Championship crowns and the two available LA 2028 Olympic quota spots, completing a championship to remember for the nation’s beach volleyball program.