Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum of Norway continued their rapid rise towards the top of their sport ©Getty Images

Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum of Norway continued their rapid rise towards the top of their sport as they clinched the European Volleyball Championships title in The Hague.

Mol and Sørum, seeded 12th, beat Latvia's Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins 21-17, 21-13 to claim the gold medal in the Dutch city.

The triumph for the Norwegian youngsters saw them clinch their maiden senior European title.

It also cemented their status as a growing force in the sport.

The defeat for Samoilovs and Smedins marked their second consecutive loss in the European Championships final.

Mol and Sørum arrived in The Hague having won the prestigious International Volleyball Federation Gstaad Open.

They were able to carry on their form from the event as they steadily progressed through the rounds.

The Norwegian duo booked their place in the showpiece contest after they overcame Pablo Herrera and Adrián Gavira of Spain 21-19, 21-16 in the semi-final.

Samoilovs and Smedins, seeded seventh, reached the final following a 21-15, 21-15 victory over Russia's Ilya Leshukov and Konstantin Semenov.

Herrera and Gavira recovered from that semi-final defeat by taking third place as they defeated the Russian pair 21-17, 13-21, 15-12.