CPUP wins gold in Beach Ultimate Frisbee
The current national Beach Ultimate champions in the mixed division, Clube de Praticantes Ultimate Portimão (CPUP), better known in the sport as UFA (Ultimate Frisbee Algarve), achieved in Gdansk (Poland) the first European Beach Ultimate club title for a Portuguese team.
After being European runner-up in 2023, in a final lost by the smallest of margins, and a meritorious 9th place in the Beach Ultimate Club World Championships in 2024, the Portimão team aimed to achieve something more on the Baltic beaches, in the European Beach Ultimate Club Championships (or EBUCC).
In the group stage, the Algarve team had no major difficulties in securing qualification for the knockout rounds, having only been pressured by the British champions, DDD, in a game in which any result would have given the Portuguese team first place in the group.
After a uneventful round of 16, the team from Portimão secured a comfortable 13-8 victory over the Ukrainian champions in the quarter-finals, securing an Iberian semi-final against Valencia's Murcíelagos. In what was the most closely contested game of the tournament, under heavy rain, the team from the Algarve prevailed over the Valencian team in sudden death, after numerous changes in the lead. In this game, UFA showed great maturity and resilience, even when behind.
On Sunday, the only undefeated teams in the tournament faced off in a high-quality final that was evenly matched until half-time, when the national champions delivered the final blow to the Czech champions' (FUJ Prague) hopes, with a run of five unanswered points, and secured the first European title in the history of the club and national Ultimate.
“This is the first time that a Portuguese team has won a title at this level, whether at club or national level. It is a historic moment for disc sports in Portugal and a well-deserved reward for over 17 years of work in favour of the sport in the municipality of Portimão. After losing the final two years ago, we could not let this opportunity slip away again. I sincerely hope that this will also result in greater visibility and greater interest in the sport among young people, not only in our city, but in Portugal in general”, highlighted Pedro Vargas, captain of the CPUP.
Beach Ultimate is a team sport played with a disc (frisbee), with five players per team, without refereeing and mixed.
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