Ferstl-Schmid reaches knockout stage at U18 European Championships
Saturday 19th September 2026 on 14:30 in
Austria
Helena Ferstl-Schmid has advanced from the group stage at the U18 European Beach Volleyball Championships in Turkey, ORF reported. The 16-year-old from Oberwart is regarded as one of Austria’s major hopes for the future of the sport.
Her route to the top level has included serious setbacks. In 2021, Ferstl-Schmid contracted Long Covid and was temporarily dependent on a wheelchair. She said she feared that her condition might not improve and that she might have to settle for simply walking and running again.
Once she left the wheelchair, however, she knew that playing in an amateur league would not be enough. She wanted to pursue the sport at a higher level.
Ferstl-Schmid has since fought her way back onto the court and now trains at a performance centre in St. Pölten. This year, she and her partner became Austrian U17 champions.
Last weekend, she played against Austria’s number one beach volleyball pairing, the Klinger sisters, on the centre court at the Austrian championships in Kitzbühel.
“The first five minutes, the first ten balls, were very nervous. I had a pounding heart, so to speak. But it was really cool. Somehow, there was no pressure at all, and we could just play and annoy the older players a little,” Ferstl-Schmid said.
Before the European Championships, she said the tournament would be a success if she could show her ability. “But the most incredible result would be if we made it out of the group stage,” she said. She and her partner Helena Bleyer had achieved that goal by Saturday lunchtime.
Ferstl-Schmid’s biggest ambition is to compete at the 2032 Olympic Games. She dreams of becoming an Olympian, like her role model Laura Ludwig. She carries a photograph of Ludwig with her as a good-luck charm at tournaments.
Her family is her main source of strength, she said, adding that it means everything to her and that her mother, Debora, is always there. “I am very, very proud of Helena. I think her story is truly unique,” Debora Ferstl said.