Alison and Bruno Schmidt defeated Italy’s Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai 21-19, 21-17 to win Brazil’s first beach volleyball gold medal since the 2004 Athens Games.
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Spurred on by their home fans, the hosts were desperate – with 15 dig successes to Italy’s five having a huge impact in the Rio rain. Agatha and Barbara took silver in the women’s Rio Olympic beach volleyball tournament.
In the men’s bronze medal match, the Dutch duo- Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, beat Russia’s Konstantin Semenov and Viacheslav Krasilnikov 23-21 and 22-20.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Alison and Bruno stood on the top step of the Olympic podium, holding back tears as the booming voices of the Carioca singing the Brazilian national anthem rose above the waves crashing against Copacabana beach.
Italy opened a 5-1 lead but the hosts came back to win the first set.
Lupo/Nicolai were the first Italian beach volleyball team to advance past the quarterfinals.
The Italian men lead in the second set but the Brazilians responded to close the gap at 11-11.
Some fans covered their heads with the ever-present green and yellow flags in an attempt to stay dry. Others wore ponchos and waved their flags and celebrate each point scored by the locals.
Even with the loss, it was cause for celebration in Europe.
Lupo and Nicolai still performed well to secure Italy’s first men’s Olympic medal in the sport.
And after the Brazilian women upset the United States in the semifinals and built on that momentum with a win over Germany in the final, there should be no lingering doubt regarding which country owns beach volleyball’s figurative title belt.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 18 (efe_epa).
Earlier Thursday, Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands won the bronze medal in beach volleyball, the Associated Press reported. “Of course, it’s where the sport was invented”.
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“That first set they were leading but even when we were behind we kept fighting, kept playing aggressive and taking a lot of risk and I think we were rewarded”, Brouwer said. Brouwer screamed before embracing his teammate.
