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 Men's
German Grand Slam
Berlin, Germany June 25-29 2003
BERLIN TAKES ON GRAND SLAM STATUS
 The city of Berlin has long been a staunch supporter of beach volleyball, having hosted highly-successful World Tour events for the past nine years. So it came as no surprise when the German capital was elected to host this season's first Grand Slam event, the $300,000 German Open.
This year the organizers will again transport 1,500 tonnes of sand into the city center for the event in Schlossplatz, one of the most historic parts of Berlin where they will create a 'downtown' beach for the world's finest beach volleyballers.
Berlin has a proud history of staging major international sporting events and with the German Open's new Grand Slam status
organisers, who also staged a great women's World
Volleyball Championship last year culminating in this landmark metropolis, are confident they will break all attendance
records.
Germany is now producing some of the Tour's most promising Beach athletes as the country and its European neighbors are continue to enjoy a boom in Beach Volleyball. Not even the rain and chilly temperatures that greeted the 2002 German Open deterred the dedicated fans who were treated to an all-South American final as Brazil's Para-Harley downed world champions Baracetti-Conde to take early possession of the World Tour gold tops.
After securing the first set, the Brazilians had to stave off a fight back from their Argentine rivals before taking the gold medals 25-23, 19-21, 15-10 in a hard-fought final. It was the Brazilian duo's finest performance of the year and their only gold medal on the way to finishing 10th on the end-of-season rankings.
Local fans were also given plenty of reason to cheer as the German duo of Dieckmann M-Reckermann produced a career-best performance to take the bronze medal with a 21-12, 18-21, 15-13 victory over Canadians Child-Heese.
After the German Open, the Men's Beach Volleyball World Tour moves north to the Norwegian coastal city of Stavanger for the $150,000 Norway Open.
Men's Podium
1. Para-Harley (BRA)
Harley
Biography
Para
Biography
2. Baracetti-Conde (ARG)
Mariano
Baracetti Profile / Biography
Martin
Alejo Conde Biography
3. Dieckmann M-Reckermann (GER)
Reckermann
Biography
Dieckmann
M Biography
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