Beach Volleyball, Men

With all-time volleyball great Karch Kiraly hampered with an injured shoulder, and unable to play, the men’s competition was open. The Brazilian pair of Emanuel Rego and José Loiola were world ranked #1, but they lost in the quarter-finals to the lightly regarded American team of Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana, who were seeded only ninth. In the semis, the Americans defeated the Portuguese pair of Luis Maia and João Brenha. In the final, Blanton and Fonoimoana faced another set of Portuguese-speakers, but were not expected to defeat the second Brazilian team of Zé Marco and Ricardo. They had played four times previously and the Brazilians had won every match. In the final, Zé Marco and Ricardo got off to an early lead in the first set, but the Americans came from behind to win 12-11. They led throughout the second set and won the gold medal in straight sets, 12-11 and 12-9. The German bronze medal by Jörg Ahmann and Axel Hager was a surprise as they were seeded only 15th and had qualified for the Olympics only the month before the Games.