(27 July 1996; Day 8)
There is never just an ordinary contest when there is an Olympic gold medal at stake. But, sometimes the gold is worth more than its current market price. In the women's beach volleyball finals, for the veteran Jackie SILVA and her young protege Sandra PIRES of Brazil, the gold has been the sole focus for the sport making its debut in the Centennial Olympic Games.
SILVA has fame, fortune, and a win/loss record to die for. All she lacked was the hardware.
After two previous appearances in the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, with the Brazilian indoor team, SILVA had nothing to show for it but some floor burns. She became so frustrated, she turned pro and went to Italy to play. When beach volleyball became lucrative in the United States, she paired with Linda HANLEY (USA) and the aggressive, exuberant pair tore up the tour.
But something was lacking. SILVA still wanted that elusive gold medal.
"Jackie has been on a mission since 1993," said her former partner, HANLEY. "She went back to Brazil and mended the rift with the Brazilian volleyball contingent. She found Sandra (PIRES) and groomed her for this very competition."
Mission accomplished.
Much to the delight of the rapt and raucous Brazilian fan contingent, in an all-Brazilian gold-medal match, SILVA/PIRES turned back Monica SAMUEL and Adriana RODRIGUES 2-0. They won 12-11 and 12-6 and won not only the first beach volleyball medal, but the first Olympic medal for a Brazilian woman in any sport, ever.
"Americans have their Dream Team, we Brazilians have two Dream Teams of our own," said Brazilian journalist Claudia MOTTAS.
In the first set, the team known as Monica and Adriana cruised out to a 5-2 lead. But SILVA/PIRES roared back with an 8-1 run sparked by a PIRES ace. A pair of blocks by SILVA, the woman who popularized blocking in the beach game, forced Monica and Adriana to call a timeout. SILVA came out after the break and immediately roofed another attack. Monica and Adriana, the younger pair, weren't through yet and tied it at 11. SILVA/PIRES slammed the door to win the first set.
"I knew from the beginning that we would win. I looked at the results and we were favored. We felt like we were growing as a team," said PIRES. "I didn't like to comment on it until we had that medal in our hands."
The momentum carried over into the next game, when SILVA/PIRES jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Monica and Adriana answered with four consecutive points as well. The momentum swayed back and forth until, holding a 9-6 lead, SILVA took control of the match at the net. She dumped, she blocked, and shut down any ideas Monica and Adriana were harboring concerning an upset. After three match-point opportunities, SILVA/PIRES slammed one home and ignited the already exuberant crowd.
"We came here with many goals, overall just to win any medal. Then we won each match, then went to the semifinals and then the medal rounds. Then we made history," said SILVA.
Described as the player always one step ahead of the beach crowd it was fitting, that SILVA along with her partner PIRES, stood one step higher on the medal stand.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Nancy Smith.
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| More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined. |