Pará's Volleyball Wins Title and Promotion in Two Categories at the Caixa Youth Games
Delegation supported by the State Government celebrates gold in the women's category and silver in the men's category, securing spots in the elite of national school volleyball in 2026
With the support of the Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat of Sports and Leisure (Seel), Pará's volleyball concluded its participation in the final phase of the Caixa Youth Games 2025 with historic achievements. The finals took place this Thursday (25) in Brasília (DF), securing Pará an unprecedented title in the women's category and the runner-up position in the men's category — both with access to higher divisions of the competition.
In the women's third division final, the Pará team defeated Maranhão 2 sets to 1, winning the title undefeated and securing a spot in the second division in 2026. In the men's category, the Pará team faced Brasília in a balanced duel for the second division final. Despite losing 2 sets to 1, the Pará athletes achieved an unprecedented spot in the national first division.
Overcoming and Pride in the Women's Category
The journey of the women's team is marked by overcoming challenges. After being relegated in 2024, the athletes returned to the courts determined to put Pará back in a prominent position. For coach Cristian Silva, the achievement represents more than just a trophy.
“We were already very happy just to have achieved qualification. The title would be an additional step. Thank God the girls managed to perform well, and we were able to bring this title to the State,” said the coach. “It was a campaign of ups and downs, but at this moment we managed to show our game.”
Two athletes who participated in the 2024 campaign and returned to the team this year, setter Geovana Azevedo, 17 years old, and middle blocker Alice Garcia, 16 years old, highlighted the feeling of achievement and the positive impact of the experience.
“It’s a very good feeling. A story of overcoming. The most important are the lessons we take from sports, from coexistence, from empathy. I am very grateful for all of this. Last year we won only one game, and this year we came out with gold. It’s a feeling of duty fulfilled,” said Geovana.
“It was very hard-fought. We trained a lot, and it worked out. Bringing Pará back to the second division is very important to pave the way for future generations,” said Alice.
Men's Team Celebrates Silver and Unprecedented Spot in the Elite
In the men's competition, even with the loss in the final against the host team, the feeling was one of victory. Coach Elinho Cunha, who is bidding farewell to school competitions, celebrated the runner-up position with emotion. “I am having this pleasure at the end of my career, leaving Pará in the elite of Brazilian school volleyball. This is gratifying for the athletes, for the State, and for my school, Santa Rosa. It is a great merit for all who dedicated themselves to this work,” emphasized the coach.
Wing spiker Kayo Loureiro, 17 years old, also celebrated the result in his last participation in the Youth Games. “This represents a lot of effort, a lot of work. Since this is my first and last competition, it has a special meaning. Sometimes we don’t achieve everything we want, but we leave with the certainty that the work was done,” said the athlete.
Pará's Participation in the Youth Games
With the conclusion on this Thursday (25), the Caixa Youth Games brought together about 4,700 student-athletes aged 14 to 17, representing all 26 federative units and the Federal District. Pará was represented by a delegation of 217 athletes, who competed in 15 sports, including athletics, swimming, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo, futsal, volleyball, and beach volleyball.
In total, the State won 10 medals: two gold, two silver, and six bronze, finishing the competition in 23rd place in the overall standings.
