Sharjah24 – AFP: Top-seeded Brazilian pair Ana Patricia Silva and Eduarda Santos won Olympic gold in the women's beach volleyball on Friday, finally nailing down victory after three tense sets in a bad-tempered game.
The duo beat seventh-ranked Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, who will take silver, by 15/10 in a decider match.
The top-seeded pair took a while to get into their stride -- but once they did there was never a dull moment on the sand as the two sides wrestled point-by-point towards gold in front of an illuminated Eiffel Tower.
"The Canadian team are always tough, they played really well, but slowly we saw we were on a high, we believed in ourselves, we thought it was going to work out - and it did!" said Santos.
The match was tetchy at times, with frequent challenges from both sides, repeated booing from the vociferous Brazilian fans, and at one point a row broke out between the four players over the net.
Play was halted while the pair argued and gestured at each other, before the umpire waved a yellow card at both teams, and the venue's DJ played John Lennon's "Imagine" as the four players returned to their halves with reluctant smiles while the crowd sang along.
The Brazilians won a seemingly never-ending first set by 26/24, after a series of match points by both sides were repeatedly denied.
The second set was equally tense as the Canadians started to pull away mid-set, climbing to a nine-point lead to secure their win after a Brazilian ball ran long off the end of the court.
But the Brazilians dominated to claim the decider set by five clear points -- to the delight of thunderous Brazilian fans, who filled the front of the stadium singing, waving flags and dancing.
The pair sank to the sand, resting their foreheads on the ground after sealing the final point.
The four players eventually shook hands and hugged after the game.
The spectacular venue has proved a good home for the popular sport with a party-like atmosphere throughout the Games, and for the finals "I love Paris" was drawn out across the sand with dancers and acrobats entertaining the crowd.
Earlier, Switzerland's Tanja Hueberli and Nina Brunner bounced to bronze medal victory, securing the win after two easy straight sets.
The ninth-ranked pair had a constant edge over Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar of Australia in a match played against a stunning sunset behind the Eiffel Tower.
The Australians put up a dogged fight, but their Swiss opponents steadily climbed through the points, securing the first set after a wayward dig from Australia's Artacho del Solar.
A series of strong blocks from the 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 metre) tall Huerberli proved too much for their opponents in the second set, with a pumped-up crowd shaking the stands of the temporary venue in central Paris with their "monster block" chant.
The delighted Swiss pair hugged and leaped around the court after smashing home their final match point, before running out into the crowd to hug family, friends and supporters decked in red-and-white Swiss hats and flags.
"It is still unreal," said Brunner. "We never really dreamed of this because it seemed so far away. (To win an Olympic medal) is the biggest thing you can win in your sport, and now we have this and will cherish this in our hearts forever."
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