Men's Beach Volleyball/Semifinals
Semis Set Up All-American Gold Medal Match
Karch KIRALY and Kent STEFFES (USA) beat upset-minded John CHILD and Mark HEESE (CAN) 15-11 to advance to the gold medal match. CHILD/HEESE will play Joao BRENHA and Miguel MAIA (POR) for the bronze. The Americans scored the first 4 points of the match before the Canadians called a well-timed time out. They then answered with 4 points of their own, sparked by an ace by CHILD. STEFFES aced right back to spur the U.S. to a 7-4 lead. KIRALY/STEFFES increased the lead to 13-7 before the Canadians beefed up their blocking and pulled within 13-11. A U.S. timeout chilled the Canadian comeback, however, and KIRALY/STEFFES notched another win in their undefeated run here at Atlanta Beach. They will face "The Mikes," WHITMARSH and DODD, in the gold medal match.
"We should have had them at 13-7, but I made some dumb shots and let them back in. Yesterday's match was really big. People said it was the best match they've ever seen indoors or out in their lives. It was hard not to look ahead. This is the first time Kent and I can allow ourselves to think about the gold medal. It is a great opportunity for us," said KIRALY. "The Canadians were a juggernaut through the loser's bracket and beat some really tough teams."
SILVA/PIRES Win First Beach Volleyball Gold Medal
In an all-Brazilian gold medal match, veterans Jackie SILVA and Sandra PIRES won 2-0 over Monica RODRIGUES and Adriana SAMUEL. SILVA/PIRES won the first gold medal ever awarded the young sport.
RODRIGUES/SAMUEL jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set before SILVA/PIRES went on a 7-0 run and took a 9-5 lead. SILVA/PIRES built the lead to 11-8, but RODRIGUES/SAMUEL came back to tie it at 11-all. Not to be deterred, SILVA/PIRES won 12-11.
The momentum carried over into the second set as SILVA/PIRES jumped out to a 4-0 lead. RODRIGUES/SAMUEL tied the set with four consecutive points. But they managed only two more as SILVA/PIRES put it overdrive and cruised in to a 12-6 win.
"I knew from the beginning that we would win," said Sandra PERES (BRA). "I looked at the results and we were favored. We felt like we have been growing as a team. I didn't like to mention it until we had that medal in our hand. We had an excellent result and now we can talk about it."
Portugal's Cinderella Pair Loses
In the only men's match of the morning session, Mike DODD and Mike WHITMARSH (USA) put an end to the Cinderella team of Miguel MAIA's and Joao BRENHA's (POR) run for the gold. The American team was down 12-9 but rallied to win 15-13. Marathon great Rosa MOTA (POR), the last Portuguese athlete to win an Olympic medal, was on hand to cheer the No. 18-seeded pair.
"Our original goal was to just get into the final 12. We reached that goal and now we want more. We have a will to win and we are going for that bronze medal," said Joao BRENHA (POR).
Australia Wins Bronze
Linda HANLEY and Barbra FONTANA (USA) took on Natalie COOK and Kerri Ann POTTHARST (AUS) in a hard-fought battle for the bronze. In the first set, HANLEY/FONTANA had three set point opportunities but COOK/POTTHARST scrambled back to win 12-11. All medal matches are the best two out of three games. The first team to reach 12 points in Games 1 and 2 wins the game. Game 3 goes to rally scoring with no cap. The Australians tore out to a 7-1 lead in the second set, but the scrappy team of HANLEY/FONTANA answered with five points to pull to 7-6. POTTHARST/COOK did not fold, and although it took four match point opportunities, they won 12-7.
"After being trounced in the match [that would have] put us in the gold medal match, we felt terrible. We had been saying gold or silver, gold or silver. Maybe our focus was in the wrong place. We felt the pressure and we weren't used to it. This time we thought point by point, set by set and were really patient," said Kerri Ann POTTHARST (AUS).
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.
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