MANAGUA, Nicaragua, December 1, 2025. – A brotherly embrace, of teammates, of accomplices, of warriors emerging victorious from a fierce battle. Then came the tears, the laughter, the phone calls home, and the celebration. That is how El Salvador’s twin brothers Yoel and Christopher Guardado lived the greatest night of their careers in Managua.
On Sunday, November 30, at Paseo Xolotlán, the Guardado twins reached glory by winning the 10th stop of the 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, earning the first senior gold medal of their young career, at just 22 years old.
In the final, they defeated Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia, a long-time Tour standout, and Inés Lares, bronze medalist at the 2025 U21 World Championship in Puebla, Mexico, and a participant at last year’s U19 World Championship in Shangluo, China.
“I can’t even believe it myself. I’m still processing it. I feel so proud; we’ve worked incredibly hard for this moment,” said Christopher, visibly emotional. “We’ve trained so much for this… and honestly, I still can’t believe it,” added Yoel.
The twins have earned the respect and admiration of the beach volleyball community in the region, growing step by step, building experience and results.
“Our first Senior NORCECA was here in Nicaragua in 2022, and this year, on the same courts, we played our first semifinal and first final. We also won the bronze medal at the NORCECA qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Tlaxcala, Mexico, and took bronze at the NORCECA U23 this year. In Central America, we are the U23 champions,” explained Yoel.
The journey has not been easy. “We’re short, that’s like our ‘bad reputation.’ But everyone believed in the process. We’ve gained experience playing together, and the losses made us stronger; they’re part of the journey. Before, we didn’t believe in ourselves, didn’t think we could go far. But there were people who did believe it. Everything you achieve comes from trusting and believing in yourself,” said Christopher.
“Today we believed, and we trusted the process. We’re extremely motivated by all the messages of support from Salvadorans. We always knew God had something prepared for us; it was just a matter of believing and having faith. Our advice is to always stay disciplined and work hard,” Yoel concluded.
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