Intro:

Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel made FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history at The Hague on Sunday (July 20) by becoming the first Polish pairing to win a gold medal.

Script:

There was a shock at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in the Hague on Sunday.

Top seeds Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal of the USA lost the opening set 21-18 to the sixth seeds Gregorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel.

The Americans had won the last two Grand Slam stops in Norway and Switzerland and entered Sunday's finale with a 20-match winning streak.

They bounced back to take the second 21-13.

But the Poles commanded the third and deciding set by opening up a 12-8 lead.

The Americans rallied to 12-11, but Fijalek and Prudel held on 15-13 to win their first gold medal match in four attempts.

Fijalek and Prudel shared the 72-thousand dollar (US) first-place prize while Dalhausser and Rosenthal split 52-thousand dollars.

The win means the Polish pair become the first men or women's combination from Poland to win a gold medal.