Russia’s men’s sitting volleyball team survived an epic final for a successful tournament for the nation, as the 2019 European Championships came to an end on Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.
The men’s gold medal match saw Russia cancel three match points of Bosnia and Herzegovina to win 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 17-15), as well as a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Sitting volleyball powerhouse Bosnia and Herzegovina – who had secured 10 continental titles between 1991 to 2015 –already qualified to Tokyo 2020 after silver from the 2018 World Championships.
Viktor Milenin had a match high for Russia, masterminding the comeback in the tie-break from 12-14 down and earning him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Germany returned to the podium for the first time since silver in 2015, after beating Ukraine 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) in the bronze medal match.