Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Less than 24 hours after their dreams of winning the gold were crushed, Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross bounced back to beat Brazil’s top-seeded Larissa and Talita in three sets, 17-21, 21-17, 15-9.
“I spent the day feeling really devastated, and then at some point, I was just like, this is absurd,” said Walsh Jennings. “What an honor and privilege and what an opportunity it is to grow as a person tonight. You have this opportunity to go and fight to redeem yourself.”
The Americans couldn’t seem to close the gap in the first set, looking much like they did when they lost to the other Brazilian team. They managed a comeback in the second set winning six straight points to stay in the game. “This is the hardest match to play in sports,” said Ross. “One team is going home empty-handed, and the other is going home with an Olympic medal.” The Americans fought to be the team going home with the medal, and they went on a 10-3 run to win the third set.
This win makes Walsh Jennings the oldest female medal winner in beach volleyball history at age 38. She won three consecutive gold medals in 2004, 2008, and 2012 with partner Misty May-Treanor. She has yet to decide if she will be back for a fifth Olympics in 2020. After losing in the semifinals, Walsh Jennings said, “I know I can, I just don’t know if I want to.”
