OLYMPICS LONDON 2012: USA pair May-Treanor and Walsh claim third straight gold

By Sportsbeat staff, London 2012

THE Olympic Games women's beach volleyball came to a predictable end when defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won gold at London 2012.

The USA pair beat Jennifer Kessy and April Ross, also from USA 2-0, taking both sets 21-16 in the win at Horse Guards Parade to claim their third straight Olympic title.

And May-Treanor believes it was the best possible way for her to bow out of the sport as she enters retirement.

BOWING OUT: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh pick up their golds as they claimed their
third successive title

"This means a lot - it is my last match, but I'm okay with slipping away because this has been a special finale," said the 35-year-old.

"It means the world. We set our expectations really high as a team, as people and as players.

"We want this game to grow and we set the bar very high and we extended that bar and set it even higher."

"I want to start a family, but I am still going to be involved with the sport.

"I have been studying for my Masters degree and may get into coaching. If Kerri needs somebody to serve her balls too, I'll be happy to do that."

Meanwhile, in the bronze medal match, Brazil pair Larissa and Juliana beat Xi Zhang and Chen Xue, from China, 2-1, losing the first set 11-21, before they took the second two 21-19 and 15-12.

Larissa said: "Everyone kept telling us an Olympic medal has a taste of its own and we wanted to feel that taste and wanted to determine on our side whether it did.

"I can you that it does, which is why we said that this bronze is our gold."

© Sportsbeat 2012