In May, Walsh Jennings also told The Huffington Post that sticking with the bikini was about what made her most comfortable as a competitor, citing 100+ degree weather and refusing to take the negative attention to heart.
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Kerri Walsh Jennings (L) celebrates with April Ross during the women’s quarterfinal match between the United States and Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Beach Volleyball Arena on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. team will face the reigning world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas of Brazil. Walsh Jennings and Ross are ranked third in the world; the Brazilians stand at No.2.
Moreover, the partnership of Agatha and Barbara can not be overlooked. There were 15 ties and five lead changes alone in the epic 29-minute second set, keeping the fans in the 12,000-seat beachside arena on their feet long after the sun set over the Rio de Janeiro mountains.
Walsh Jennings has been an inspiration to female athletes, mothers and anyone paying attention. U.S. basketball stars Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and DeAndre Jordan were leading chants of “USA!”
Taking the court after the top-seeded Brazilian women lost their semifinal to Germany, Alison and Bruno beat Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen 21-17, 21-23, 16-14. The Americans closed it out, the most thrilling point a wild back-and-forth rally that required multiple diving digs from both Ross and Walsh Jennings. They recently defeated Russian Federation to advance into the semifinals. Fittingly, a final ace ended the match. Everybody was hoping and expecting Jennings to win the gold medal again, making her the first and only beach volleyball player to have won four consecutive gold medals at the Olympics.
Agatha and Barbara came out firing in the second.
The American have won three of the four previous worldwide meetings with Agatha and Barbara, including 2-0 (21-17, 23-21) July 2015 win in Switzerland when Walsh Jennings played most of the second set with a dislocated right shoulder. They jumped out to a lead and then put the match away, winning 21-16.
The 38-year-old has faced judgments like this for years. Luckily, Ross was able to hit the ball over the net.
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Ross said she has enjoyed the way athletes from different sports meet and root for each other.
