Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross Win Bronze After Beating Brazil

Kerri Walsh Jennings couldn’t help but feel devastated, angry and ultimately blame herself for not attaining her goal of claiming a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross Win Bronze After Beating Brazil

Following her first beach volleyball loss at the Summer Games, and trailing by one set in the bronze-medal match and behind in the second, Walsh Jennings left all that behind and concentrated on winning her final match at Copacabana Beach. Now, she is the most decorated beach volleyball player in Olympic history.

“It’s crazy what 24 hours can do,” Walsh Jennings said after she and April Ross defeated Brazil’s Talita and Larissa 17-21, 21-17, 15-9 on Wednesday night to win bronze. “This is a highlight of my athletic career, without a doubt.”

The top-seeded Brazilian women took the lead in the first set, during which the Americans struggled to close the gap.

Larissa and Talita again gained the lead in the second, but their opponents rallied back following the first technical timeout. Walsh Jennings and Ross continued gaining momentum, winning the second set 21-17 to force a decisive third.

The U.S. women then put the first point of the third on the board and maintained a one-point lead over the Brazilians through most of the set. Walsh Jennings crushed the Brazilians at the net, while Ross’ impressive digs appeared limitless.

After struggling with passing throughout the previous matches, Walsh Jennings delivered a pair of blocks for the last two points to secure the bronze medal.

The victory gave Walsh Jennings her fourth Olympic medal. At the age of 38, she is also now the oldest female medal winner in beach volleyball history and the fifth beach volleyball player to win medals with two different partners.

After hugging her opponents, Walsh Jennings high-fived some court-side volunteers and then found a U.S. cheering section in the corner of the 12,000-seat arena.

Wrapping themselves in an American flag, she and Ross embraced each other for a long time.

“Devastating is a pretty huge word, but it pretty much captures how I felt last night,” Walsh Jennings said. “We came here to be our best, and I was subpar.”

Walsh Jennings also broke a tie with former partner Misty May-Treanor for the most medals in Olympic beach volleyball history.

Talita also took the time to praise Walsh Jennings after the match.

“I think she’s the best player that we have for beach volleyball for all [time],” the Brazilian said. “If you ask everybody, everybody will say ‘Kerri.'”

With the victory, Team USA avoided a medal shutout in a sport the country invented and– along with Brazil– has dominated since beach volleyball was added to the Olympics in 1996.

The U.S. has won six of a possible 12 gold medals in the sport and 10 overall. Brazil has clinched 13 medals, though only two gold.

Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst swept Brazil’s Agatha and Barbara 21-18, 21-14 in the women’s gold medal match. The victory marked Germany’s first medal in women’s beach volleyball.

Walsh Jennings and Ross said neither of them slept after they lost to Brazil’s other team in the semifinal. It was Walsh Jennings’ first loss in 27 Olympic beach volleyball matches.

It wasn’t until she and Ross arrived at the venue Wednesday and received a pep talk from coach Marcio Sicoli that they were able to concentrate again on the event.

“He said, ‘This is all about you guys,'” she said, adding that he talked about their children and their families and all the people who have supported them. “He hit the heart. He made it about being your best.”

Ross, who earned silver in London, said the bronze-medal game is “the hardest match to play in sports.”

“One team is going home empty-handed, and the other is going home with an Olympic medal,” she said.

The men’s tournament will conclude on Thursday as Alison and Bruno Schmidt of Brazil face off against Italy’s Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai for gold.

Robert Meeuwsen and Alexander Brouwer will take on Russia’s Viascheslav Krasilnikov and Konstantin Semenov in the men’s bronze medal match.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 17: Bronze medalists Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross of the United States pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Beach Volleyball on day 12 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Beach Volleyball Arena on August 17, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)