LONDON – Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, the world's most famous beach volleyball pair, beat fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy 21-16, 21-16 to win their third consecutive Olympic gold medal in their final match together.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (left) celebrate winning the gold medal after defeating April Ross and Jennifer Kessy (USA) in the women's beach volleyball gold medal match.
May-Treanor played fantastic defense, and Walsh hardly made any mistakes at the net. The outcome of the match was never in doubt. Just like old times.
Even the setting at Horse Guards Parade was perfectly picturesque, with Big Ben, the London Eye and the rest of Westminster surrounding the court.
One of the most touching moments of the celebration featured Walsh, wrapped in the American flag, holding both of her sons in her arms as fans cheered.
Many in the crowd wore red, white and blue, and fans waved at least a few dozen American flags. On the relatively warm London summer night, Walsh and May-Treanor wore red bikinis with white accents. The other American duo wore all white bikinis.
The crowd was on a first-name basis with May-Treanor and Walsh, with some signs in the crowd simply reading, "Go Kerri and Misty!"
For so long, they've dominated this sport. They've been partners for 11 years, winning three consecutive world championships at one point, and now three consecutive Olympic gold medals to end it all. Of the five gold medals handed out since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996, May-Treanor and Walsh have won three of them.
Walsh and May-Treanor had been emotional on this court the night before after they clinched a spot in the final. They said this medal means more than the previous two.
That's because they're different women then they were four years ago in Beijing, and certainly different than they were eight years ago in Athens.
Back in 2004, it was just Misty May and Kerri Walsh. Then May married current Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Matt Treanor in November 2004. Walsh married pro volleyball player Casey Jennings the following year.
After Beijing, Walsh took time away from volleyball to start a family. She had her first son, Joseph, in 2009, and a second, Sundance, in 2010.
While Walsh was busy with babies, May-Treanor went a different route. She competed on season seven of Dancing with the Stars with Maksim Chmerkovskiy soon after Beijing. May-Treanor survived the first two weeks on the show but had to withdraw after she ruptured her Achilles tendon in practice. May-Treanor couldn't compete for a year.
In 2011, the two women got back together to make one last run at Olympic gold. May-Treanor, 35, has said she will retire after these Games to start a family. Walsh is expected to continue competing with a different partner.
May-Treanor and Walsh never lost a match in Olympic competition. They are 21-0 all-time. In Athens and Beijing, they never even lost a set. They lost one in London during group play, but came back to win the match.
Their opponents in the final, Ross and Kessy, were somewhat of a surprise. Most expected the top-seeded Brazilians — Larissa and Juliana — to challenge May-Treanor and Walsh for gold. Instead, it was Ross and Kessy, who have been partners since 2007. They narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in 2008, finding some validation in making these Games and making it to the gold medal game.
Ross and Kessy came back in their semifinal to upset Larissa and Juliana, 11-21, 21-19, 15-12. The Brazilians beat China's Xi Zhang and Chen Xue to win bronze earlier Wednesday night.
The U.S. men were eliminated from the men's beach volleyball tournament and will not medal. They won gold three out of the four past Olympics (1996, 2000, 2008).
Christopher Hanewinckel, US Presswire
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (left) celebrate winning the gold medal after defeating April Ross and Jennifer Kessy (USA) in the women's beach volleyball gold medal match.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (left) celebrate winning the gold medal after defeating April Ross and Jennifer Kessy (USA) in the women's beach volleyball gold medal match.
May-Treanor played fantastic defense, and Walsh hardly made any mistakes at the net. The outcome of the match was never in doubt. Just like old times.
Even the setting at Horse Guards Parade was perfectly picturesque, with Big Ben, the London Eye and the rest of Westminster surrounding the court.
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One of the most touching moments of the celebration featured Walsh, wrapped in the American flag, holding both of her sons in her arms as fans cheered.
Many in the crowd wore red, white and blue, and fans waved at least a few dozen American flags. On the relatively warm London summer night, Walsh and May-Treanor wore red bikinis with white accents. The other American duo wore all white bikinis.
The crowd was on a first-name basis with May-Treanor and Walsh, with some signs in the crowd simply reading, "Go Kerri and Misty!"
For so long, they've dominated this sport. They've been partners for 11 years, winning three consecutive world championships at one point, and now three consecutive Olympic gold medals to end it all. Of the five gold medals handed out since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996, May-Treanor and Walsh have won three of them.
Walsh and May-Treanor had been emotional on this court the night before after they clinched a spot in the final. They said this medal means more than the previous two.
That's because they're different women then they were four years ago in Beijing, and certainly different than they were eight years ago in Athens.
Back in 2004, it was just Misty May and Kerri Walsh. Then May married current Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Matt Treanor in November 2004. Walsh married pro volleyball player Casey Jennings the following year.
After Beijing, Walsh took time away from volleyball to start a family. She had her first son, Joseph, in 2009, and a second, Sundance, in 2010.
While Walsh was busy with babies, May-Treanor went a different route. She competed on season seven of Dancing with the Stars with Maksim Chmerkovskiy soon after Beijing. May-Treanor survived the first two weeks on the show but had to withdraw after she ruptured her Achilles tendon in practice. May-Treanor couldn't compete for a year.
In 2011, the two women got back together to make one last run at Olympic gold. May-Treanor, 35, has said she will retire after these Games to start a family. Walsh is expected to continue competing with a different partner.
May-Treanor and Walsh never lost a match in Olympic competition. They are 21-0 all-time. In Athens and Beijing, they never even lost a set. They lost one in London during group play, but came back to win the match.
Their opponents in the final, Ross and Kessy, were somewhat of a surprise. Most expected the top-seeded Brazilians — Larissa and Juliana — to challenge May-Treanor and Walsh for gold. Instead, it was Ross and Kessy, who have been partners since 2007. They narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in 2008, finding some validation in making these Games and making it to the gold medal game.
Ross and Kessy came back in their semifinal to upset Larissa and Juliana, 11-21, 21-19, 15-12. The Brazilians beat China's Xi Zhang and Chen Xue to win bronze earlier Wednesday night.
The U.S. men were eliminated from the men's beach volleyball tournament and will not medal. They won gold three out of the four past Olympics (1996, 2000, 2008).