Olympic beach volleyball results 2016: Brazil wins gold in the men’s finals

The men’s beach volleyball finals are complete in Rio, and Brazil has won gold, beating Italy in straight sets. Robert Meeuwsen and Alexander Brouwer of the Netherlands defeated the Russian team of Konstantin Semenov and Viacheslav Krasilnikov in the bronze medal match.

Meeuwsen and Brouwer were able to take down Semenov and Krasilnikov in straight sets, though both were hard-fought and went down to the wire. The Dutch duo, who entered the Olympic tournament as the No. 2 seed, won the first set with a score of 23-21 and the second set with a score of 22-20. The bronze medal earned on behalf of the Netherlands is the first beach volleyball Olympic medal in Dutch history.

In the gold medal match, Brazil’s Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti, the No. 1 seed in the Olympic tournament, went up against Italy’s Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai. It was clear from the start that each team knew how much every point would matter. The Brazilians challenged on the first point, claiming that Italy touched the ball. The Italians quickly went up 2-1 and continued to build a lead against Schmidt and Cerutti, but the Brazilians didn’t blink, narrowing the lead to 6-4. A monster block by Cerutti tied it up 8-8, and momentum continued to build for Brazil.

Cerutti and Schmidt extended their lead to 13-10, with the Brazilian crowd vocally supporting the home team. A double-block by Nicolai wasn’t enough to preserve a point for Italy. Momentum was shifting in Brazil’s favor. Italy kept fighting, tying it up 17-all, but Brazil held on to win the first set 21-19. Italy challenged the set point for a net violation, but the point was upheld.

In the second set, Italy jumped out to a 2-1 lead, and Italy challenged Brazil’s second point. It got heated with the official, who did not stop play. Brazil kept the point, and the teams remained in close competition as rain pelted down on them. Italy started to pull away from Brazil, establishing a three-point lead, but Brazil didn’t blink, pulling within one point just before the technical time out. When the teams returned to play, a Cerutti block put Brazil even with Italy.

Brazil took a 15-14 lead over Italy, their first lead of the second set, and quickly made it 16-14 with a strong play by Cerutti at the net. It was the start of a run by Brazil, as they extended their lead to 19-14. Italy pulled within two, closing the gap to 17-19, but Brazil won the next point, got the serve back and put the match away with a score of 21-17, winning the gold in straight sets.