Jurmala, Latvia, August 22, 2019 – Norway’s Daniel Bergerud and Lars Tveit Retterholt are fighting fit in Jurmala reaching their first FIVB 3-Star main draw, pulling back for the win against Czech team, David Lenc/Filip Habr, 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 16-10).
The road to the main draw has been a long one for Bergerud who was forced to take 2018 away from beach volleyball following injury. The pair are firmly back on track, taking silver a week earlier at the Budapest 1-Star.
“I was actually at a soccer practice with some friends and I twisted my foot, some of the ligaments in my foot snapped so I had to have four screws in my foot and two surgeries and then I lost the whole season, I was out for a year. It was really hard actually, so it’s good to back now and to play some good volleyball, it’s really nice,” said Bergerud.
“This our first time in a 3-Star main draw together, so it means a lot. We have been fighting all season as Daniel was injured all of last year. So the way that we have come back and the way we have worked ourselves back into the game, we’re happy to reach the main draw now,” said Retterholt.
Norway's Daniel Bergerud and Filip Harbr (CZE) in Jurmala
The Norwegian pair entered the Jurmala qualification tournament as number six seeds placing them directly into the second round where they met the Czech team.
“It feels fantastic to be in the main draw, it was a tight match and we used some time to figure out the conditions and from there we just kept on working and won by two points in the end so that’s a fantastic feeling,” said Retterholt.
“It was hard, we started really bad, we were down 14-7 in the first set and they pushed really hard on the serve and we couldn’t get a rhythm, but we managed a way to come back and we just talked to each other and tried to back each other on the court. It worked out and I’m really happy now,” said Bergerud.
The pair has been aiming high since Bergerud’s return to fitness, competing at the Espinho 4-Star and Vienna 5-Star, and would like to stay out the week in Jurmala.
“We said that our goal is top ten, so we’re going for that,” said Retterholt.