US duo claim third consecutive gold

London: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States have won gold in the all-American final of the women`s beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade.

The duo claimed their third consecutive Olympic title after they defeated number six seeds Jennifer Kessy and April Ross 16-21 16-21 in front of a royal audience.

Prince Harry watched on as the reigning champions swept aside the opposition in front of a packed crowd.

The first set was evenly matched and was all-square at 13-13 but then the experienced May-Treanor and Walsh opened up a three-point gap as they looked to take a 1-0 lead.

Good defensive work by Walsh and a kill at the net edged the double Olympic champions closer to an early advantage, with a fault by Kessy handing them five set points.

Ross saved a point with an attack but she could only delay the inevitable as May-Treanor fired her team to a first-set win.

Both teams fought hard to gain an edge in the second set, with Ross and Kessy pegging back their opponents with a well-timed ace to pull back two points and take it to 7-7.

However, three straight errors allowed May-Treanor and Walsh to pull away and they then powered to victory with four match points to spare.

BDST: 1419 HRS, August 9, 2012
Edited by
Chanchal Ghosh, Newsroom Editor