Barbara and Fernanda aim to keep progressing after their #FTLMajor victory

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Barbara (left) and Fernanda topped the podium in the #FTLMajor

The first gold medal in the Beach Major Series is always a remarkable moment for beach volleyball teams, but for Brazil’s Barbara Seixas and Fernanda Berti, the victory in the 2018 Fort Lauderdale Major has the potential to mean even more.

Playing together since September 2016, shortly after Barbara won the silver medal in the Rio Olympics with former partner Agatha Bednarczuk, the Brazilians dominated the tournament in Florida and triumphed in the all-Brazilian final against Taiana Lima and Carol Horta.

The ending point of their campaign in the #FTLMajor will hopefully be the starting point for a successful season in the World Tour.

“Fernanda, me and all of our staff have been working so hard to be here,” Barbara told us with the gold medal around her neck. “It means a lot. It was a very important event for us, all the best teams of the world were here. It was a tough tournament, all the pools were very, very balanced. Every team was preparing for the event and the fact that we could win it is really important for our confidence.”

The result couldn’t come in a better moment for the Brazilians as they start their second season together after having experienced mixed feelings in 2017. The duo had good moments, such as their victory in the three-star event in Xiamen and the fourth-place in the Porec Major, but ending the year with only one medal was somehow frustrating for both Fernanda and Barbara.

“Last year was very special, but painful at the same time,” Barbara added. “We had to learn how to play together in a way that we could get the best for our team. We had a lot of unexpected results, some that were not so good, but even though we ended the year well, ranking sixth in the world. It was about understanding and learning together. We improved for this year and put everything we trained to play.”

Can’t wait to see what you can do next, ladies!

The Brazilian team hopes to add more silverware to their collection during the season