JALAPA, Guatemala, October 28, 2025. – Costa Ricans Julián Araya and Jhostin Varela were crowned the new men’s beach volleyball champions of the XII Central American Games Guatemala 2025, after an exciting comeback victory over Nicaragua’s Rubén Mora and Dany López by 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-13) at the Jalapa Sports Complex.
This is Costa Rica’s second-ever gold medal in men’s beach volleyball at the Central American Games, in addition to one bronze medal. Nicaragua, on the other hand, claimed its first-ever silver medal in this discipline, adding to its two previous golds. Twin brothers Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador captured the fourth bronze medal in their country’s history.
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The final began evenly, tied at 5 points, with both teams showing power and solid defense. The attacks of Rubén and Dany gave Nicaragua a 13-9 lead, mixing deep shots with quick spikes. Despite the pressure, Costa Rica stayed close thanks to Araya’s defense and Varela’s intensity. Nicaragua closed the first set 21-17 with a powerful hit from Mora.
In the second set, Costa Rica took control early with attacks from Jhostin and Araya, going up 3-0. Errors from Nicaragua helped the Ticos extend their lead to 9-4. Varela dominated the net, and together with Araya, maintained the gap to take the set 21-17. In the decider, both teams put on a display of defense and determination. Costa Rica led 6-4, but Nicaragua tied it at 8 with two kills from López. Araya responded with precision to regain a 10-8 advantage. With the score tied at 13-13, the golden point came with a block by Jhostin on Rubén Mora, sealing the victory and the gold medal for Costa Rica.
After the win, Julián Araya said emotionally: “I’m speechless. I just want to thank our families and our coaches. It was a heart-stopping match against a very experienced and strong team like Rubén and Dany. Now it’s time to celebrate.”
Meanwhile, Jhostin Varela expressed: “First, I want to thank God. It was a very tough final against a strong opponent. We started behind but managed to turn it around. Thanks to all our coaches and everyone who helped us achieve this gold medal. In the first set, we dropped our level a bit, but we were able to recover.”
In the bronze medal match, Christopher and Yoel Guardado of El Salvador claimed a commanding 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) victory over Edgar Maldonado and José Izaguirre of Guatemala. The Salvadorans dominated from the start with Christopher’s smart attacks and Yoel’s solid defense. In the second set, Guatemala fought back and led 15-14, but the Guardado brothers regained control with four consecutive points, sealing the win with a powerful attack that secured the bronze medal.
In the semifinals, Araya and Varela displayed their best form, defeating Maldonado/Izaguirre of Guatemala 2-0 (21-15, 21-11). With Jhostin’s solid blocking and Julián’s precise attacks, Costa Rica controlled both sets convincingly.
Meanwhile, López/Mora of Nicaragua advanced to the final after a dramatic 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 27-25) win over the Guardado brothers. In a marathon match, both teams had multiple chances to close the tiebreak, but it was Nicaragua that capitalized on a final error by El Salvador to secure its place in the gold medal match.
The fifth place of the tournament went to Irvin Reyes and Manuel Serrano of Honduras, who defeated José González and Jason Quintero of Panama in a close match 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 17-15).
Final Standing: 1. COSTA RICA Julián Araya/Jhostin Varela 2. NICARAGUA Rubén Mora/Dany López 3. EL SALVADOR Christopher Guardado/Yoel Guardado 4. GUATEMALA Edgar Maldonado/José Izaguirre 5. HONDURAS Irvin Reyes/Manuel Serrano 6. PANAMÁ José González/Jason Quintero 7. BELIZE Brandon Fehr/Edgar Martínez
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