August 24, 2004
Athens Olympics Beach Volleyball Gold Medal game today
The USA has never won a medal in women's Beach Volleyball, since the sport became part of the Olympic Games in 1996. But Tuesday evening, they could very well have two teams on the podium, come the close of the Women's Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournament.
Reigning World Champions Kerri WALSH and Misty MAY have already secured one of the podium positions, by making it through to the final, Tuesday evening at 21:00, against Brazil's Adriana BEHAR and Shelda BEDE, at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre in the Faliro Coastal Zone.
WALSH / MAY entered the Athens Olympic Games as the tournament's number one seeds, despite an abdominal muscle injury that had kept MAY sidelined for the better part of the pre-Olympic period. Right until two weeks before the Games, MAY's participation was in limbo. But she made it through to play her with her regular partner, and they haven't looked back since.
WALSH / MAY have won match after match in this tournament to come into the final with a perfect record of six straight-set victories, including a semi-final victory over their fellow-USA team of Holly McPEAK / Elaine YOUNGS, the number four seeds of the Games.
ADRIANA BEHAR / SHELDA, meanwhile, also kept their seed of number two, to qualify to the final undefeated -- although they have dropped two sets on the way. One was in the Round of 16, when they survived a three-set scare from Bulgaria's YANCHULOVA sisters, Lina and Petia. The other was in the quarter-finals, when once more they staged a come from behind victory over fellow-Brazilians Ana Paula CONNELLY / Sandra PIRES.
While WALSH / MAY need the gold to confirm their number one status in the world, ADRIANA BEHAR / SHELDA also need it to better their previous Olympic performance of second, in 2000 in Sydney. They already took revenge from Australia's Natalie COOK for losing that final in Sydney, by eliminating her and teammate Nicole SANDERSON in the semi-finals in Athens. But the Brazilians still need have to create an upset over the USA.
Earlier in the evening, Tuesday, McPEAK / YOUNGS will meet COOK and SANDERSON in the bronze medal match, starting at 19:30. The two teams have met only once in the past, with the Australians winning in straight sets. COOK is out for her third medal in as many Olympic Games, following a bronze in Atlanta and a gold in Sydney, both with Kerri POTTHARST. Australia has never been absent from the podium in the past two Olympic Games.