August 6, 2021
Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar will stand proud on the podium to collect silver after a courageous performance in the beach volleyball final on Friday morning at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Australian duo were up against the experienced United States’ partnership of Alix Klineman and April Ross.
It was always going to be a tough battle as the US pair had lost just one set during their Olympics campaign.
And the veteran Ross, 39, has buckets of top-game experience, previously winning bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and silver at the 2012 London games.
Klineman, 31, has also won multiple gold medals on the world tour over the past three years.
The Americans’ serves were outstanding, delivering seven aces across the match to record a straight sets win, 2-0 (21-15, 21-16).
However, Clancy and Artacho del Solar tested the Americans, particularly midway through the second set, but luck just didn’t seem to go their way with points lost by mere centimetres.
This is the fourth time the United States has collected a women’s beach volleyball gold at the Olympics.
It is the first time Australia has earned a spot in the final since Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst won gold at the 2000 Sydney games; Cook and Pottharst also collected a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta games.
Pottharst, who was commenting for broadcaster Channel 7, praised the Aussies’ performance, calling them “Queens” of the sport who had “cemented their names” in Australian sporting history.
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