LONDON – United States pair Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their third successive Olympic gold medal in women's beach volleyball by beating compatriots Jennifer Kessy and April Ross in straight sets Wednesday. May-Treanor and Walsh took gold in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing in 2008. No other beach volleyball team, men or women, have retained an Olympic title, let alone won a third. At the end of the match, which finished 21-16 21-16, the two women fell to their knees face-to-face in the sand and hugged. Then they got up, bathed in tears, and ran off in different directions to embrace family and friends, including Walsh's two young sons, and do high fives with Olympic volunteers. After a while, May-Treanor returned to the sand and performed a few solo dance moves, which she later described as “the shuffle”. Walsh was in tears throughout the medal ceremony, closing her eyes, throwing her head back and exhaling as she struggled to control her emotions. May-Treanor, who will now retire from competition, smiled and appeared relaxed on the podium. Kessy and Ross, the 2009 world champions, were competing in their first Olympics. They have spent much of their careers in the shadow of Walsh and May-Treanor and the final was no exception. “They are the best team of all time,” said Kessy. The bronze medal went to Brazilian world champions Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca, who staged a dazzling comeback earlier to beat China's Xue Chen and Zhang Xi 11-21 21-19 15-12 after being within two points of losing. Juliana and Larissa arrived in London as the favourites but their dreams of gold unravelled when they were upset in the semifinals by Kessy and Ross Tuesday. — Reuters
