Kerri Walsh Jennings and the United States won the women's beach volleyball gold medal in the past three Olympics, but the sport crowned a new champion Wednesday at the 2016 Rio Games.Germany'sLaura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorstcaptured the gold with a straight-sets victory over silver medalists Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas de Freitasof Brazil, while Walsh Jennings and teammate April Ross earned bronze with a three-set win over Brazil's Larissa Franca Maestrini and Talita Rocha.Gold-Medal MatchBednarczukand Seixasde Freitasmay have looked unbeatable when they eliminated Ross and Walsh Jennings in the semifinals, but Ludwig and Walkenhorst left little doubt on Wednesday who the best team was at the Rio Olympics.The Germans earned a hard-fought 21-18 victory in the first set and then dictated the tempo for the remainder of the match in a relatively straightforward 21-14 second set. Germany's overall defense was too much for the home side, as Brazil didn't finish with a single ace and couldn't keep up with Walkenhorst's blocks.Walkenhorst tallied seven successful blocks in all, per the Rio Games' official website. Nick Zaccardi of NBC's Olympic Talk noted success on the beach is nothing new for Germany:The Germans were far from intimidated by the partial crowd in the early going of Wednesday's match. The two teams traded runs in the first set, but Ludwig and Walkenhorst seized control with a 4-0 spurt when it was tied at 13.The result was a 17-13 lead, which they eventually turned into a 21-18 victory in the first set. Ludwig and Walkenhorst quieted the crowd and had all the momentum, which they carried over into the second set.Germany won six of the first seven points of that second set and created enough separation where it could simply trade points and streaks for the remainder of the match. That is exactly what it did behind those impressive blocks on the way to a 15-10 advantage.A quick run from Brazil made it 16-13, but Germany again took full control. A Ludwig ace made it 18-13, and two more points gave the Germans an overwhelming seven match points. It took them two, as Seixasde Freitashit the final serve out of bounds.Bronze-Medal MatchWhile it wasn't the gold she earned in Beijing and London, Walsh Jennings became the most decorated athlete in the history of beach volleyball on Wednesday with a thrilling three-set win over Brazil, as Rio 2016 noted:According tothe Rio Games' officialwebsite, Brazil was more effective with the serve with six aces to only one for the Americans, but the defense from the United States proved to be the difference. Walsh Jennings notched six successful blocks, while Ross tallied 15 digs in a display of defensive brilliance.Maestriniand Rocha controlled the early scoring. It was clear they had an initial strategy against one of the all-time greats with timely placed shots and effective passing, which helped them build a 17-12 lead.Nate Scott ofUSA Todayreacted to the first set:From there, the Brazilians finished the first-set win at 21-17. NBC Olympics shared their celebration:The United States appeared well on its way to a straight-set loss when it fell behind 11-8 after a Rocha ace. However, it bounced back with themost important run of the match with five straight points and turned a 14-12 deficit into a 17-14 lead.The Americans kept the momentum rolling and won the set 21-17 to force a decisive third.The third started in a back-and-forth fashion when the two teams split the opening 12 points, but the Americans won nine of the final 12 to win the match 15-9:Walsh Jennings went home with a medal for the fourth straight Olympics. This time, she did it alongside Ross after winning gold with Misty May-Treanor in the previous three Games.ReactionWalsh Jennings said her victory in the bronze medal match actually meant more than her previous golden triumphs, per Scott:Once you win a semifinal, the gold medal match is easy. No disrespect to win the gold medal, it takes everything you have, but youre going to go home with a medal. The bronze medal match is the gnarliest match Ive ever played in my career, because you either go home with a beautiful medal or you get nothing. And for me it just meant so much more, because last night just felt so bad to play like that. Losing happens, but losing that way is just something that is unacceptable to me.She was also asked about the possibility of playing in the 2020 Games in Tokyo and said, I havent spent one second thinking about that. I have no room in me to think about tomorrow.If she doesnt come back for the 2020 Olympics, she will go out as arguably the best player in beach volleyball history. She cemented that legacy even further with another medal on Wednesday.
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