Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim.
PARIS (AP) - Not even a tense tête-à-tête in the gold medal game could spoil the vibe at Paris´
posted by Verla Среда, 11 Декабрь 2024 18:57 Comment Linkbiggest beach party.
Canada´s Brandie Wilkerson and Brazil´s Ana Patrícia got into a finger-pointing shouting match across the net
in the tiebreaking third set of the beach volleyball final of the Paris Olympics on Friday night.
The referee tried to keep the peace, but it was the Eiffel Tower Stadium DJ
who cooled tempers on the sand by playing John Lennon´s "Imagine"
over the PA system.
The players laughed and clapped. The crowd applauded and sang along.
Wilkerson was shown a yellow card.
The top-ranked Brazilians left with the gold medal.
"We`re competitors and we are fighting for the same thing: There´s only one gold medal," Wilkerson said
during a post-match news conference in which the two laughed and jokingly put up their fists as if they
were going to brawl it out.
Gold medalists, Brazil's Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa, center left,
and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos, center right,
pose for a selfie with, from left, silver medalists, Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie
Wilkerson, and bronze medalists, Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hueberli, on the medals podium for women's beach volleyball
at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France.
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
"Immediately after the game, it´s all love and respect," she said.
"We bring out the best in each other, and I´m honored to play against this team."
Ana Patrícia and Duda rallied from an 11-5 deficit to take the first-to-21, win-by-two
first set 26-24, and Canada won the second 21-12.
Brazil opened up a 12-7 lead in the first-to-15 tiebreaker when,
after a joust at the net, Wilkerson and Ana Patrícia began pointing fingers
at each other.
The second referee, the one at sand level, moved out to separate the two players, but Wilkerson continued to
argue and picked up a yellow card. As the Brazilians got into position to serve for
the next point, the DJ began playing "Imagine," the late
Beatle's song calling for unity and peace.
The message resonated with the players.
"What a beautiful opportunity we have to play the finals under the Eiffel Tower against the best in the world,"
Wilkerson said. "Like, that, in of itself, is a win."
Wilkerson told reporters afterward that it was all a
misunderstanding: She was responding to her family, cheering in the crowd behind the Brazilians,
and Ana Patrícia thought Wilkerson was taunting her.
"We´re pretty amped up, partners are coming in, refs are coming in. So it was a bit of a mess," Wilkerson said.
"But after the game, and even right when they came to shake our hands, still on the court, there was an immediate hug and just kind of like, `Hey, it´s all good.´"
When play resumed, it took Brazil only five more points
to finish off Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes,
kicking off a party the sport's spiritual home hadn't seen since hosting the 2016
Rio de Janeiro Games at Copacabana. In Tokyo, the country was shut out at the Summer Games for the first time since beach volleyball was added to the program in 1996.
Three years later, Brazil not only returned to the podium but climbed to its top step.
With the Eiffel Tower's strobes sparking in the background and yellow- and green-wearing fans singing and waving Brazilian flags, the
country was awarded its first women's gold
since Atlanta. (The United States, which had won four of the last five, was shut out in both the men's and women's tournaments in Paris.)
After the medal ceremony, the Canadians and Brazilians - along with the bronze-winning Swiss - posed for selfies together.
Wilkerson and Ana Patrícia spoke to each other and hugged; there may have even been an air
kiss.
"It was a game thing," Ana Patrícia said. "Everybody wants to win. But it happens. It´s everybody trying to win, but now everything is OK."
Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes will return to Canada with the country's first beach volleyball medal since the men won bronze at
the 1996 Atlanta Games. That team was coached by Humana-Paredes' father.
Switzerland beat Australia in straight sets in the third-place game earlier Friday night to earn the bronze medal.
Nina Brunner and Tanja Huerberli beat Tokyo silver
medalists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-17, 21-15 in 39 minutes.
It was the second Summer Games in a row that a Swiss team took the bronze medal, coming three
years after Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vergé-Dépré placed
third in Tokyo.
On the men's side, Sweden was set to face Germany for gold on Saturday night, with Norway and Qatar playing for the bronze.
___
AP Olympics: website
Brazil's Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa, left, and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos react after winning their women's beach volleyball gold medal match against Canada, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday,
Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos celebrates with fans after
Brazil won their women's beach volleyball gold medal match against Canada, at the
2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.
(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos celebrates as Brazil defeats Canada in the women's beach volleyball gold medal match, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos, facing, hugs teammate Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa as they celebrate winning the women's beach volleyball gold medal match against Canada, at the 2024 Summer
Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.
(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar, left, and Taliqua Clancy return a ball in the women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Brazil's Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa misses a shot in the women's beach volleyball gold medal match between Brazil and Canada, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Switzerland's Nina Brunner serves in the women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday,
Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Switzerland's Tanja Hueberli hits the ball past Australia's Taliqua Clancy in the women's
beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia
and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F.
Bukaty)
Switzerland's Nina Brunner hits the ball in the
women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer
Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise
Delmotte)
Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar returns a ball in the women's beach volleyball
bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
The sun sets behind the Eiffel Tower during play in the
women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the
2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.
(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Switzerland's Tanja Hueberli returns a shot in the women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F.
Bukaty)
Switzerland's Nina Brunner hits the sand after returning a shot in the
women's beach volleyball bronze medal match between Australia and Switzerland, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday,
Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Canada's Brandie Wilkerson, right, and Melissa Humana-Paredes talk
during the women's beach volleyball gold medal match between Brazil and Canada, at the 2024
Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.
(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Canada's Brandie Wilkerson hits a ball in the women's beach volleyball gold medal
match between Brazil and Canada, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug.
9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Gold medalists, Brazil's Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa, center left, and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos, center right,
jump on the podium as they celebrate with, from left, silver medalists, Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, and bronze
medalists, Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hueberli, on the medals podium for women's beach volleyball at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug.
10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F.
Bukaty)
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos poses with her gold medal
in women's beach volleyball, at the 2024 Summer Olympics,
Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)