Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Win 3rd Gold Medal (VIDEO)
Misty May-Treanor
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings win gold against fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in Olympic beach volleyball match; Sitting Volleyball Paralympian Katie Holloway on how determination helps her in sport, life
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings will have to change their Twitter bios from “2-Time Olympic Gold Medalist” to “3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist.” May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings put away fellow American beach volleyball duo April Ross and Jennifer Kessy in just two sets Wednesday night, with May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings winning the Olympic gold medal and Kessy and Ross taking the silver.
“It’s ever easy playing your own countrymen,” May-Treanor told the “Today” show Thursday. “They help elevate their game because they are such wonderful players. I couldn’t be more proud to face Jen and April.”
After their big win, May-Treanor announced her retirement to start a family with her husband; Walsh Jennings will continue to play, albeit with a different partner.
“I’m emotional but we learn so much outside of volleyball – that’s what this Olympics signified – our journey off the court together,” May-Treanor said of her relationship on and off the court with Walsh Jennings. “It’s something we’re never going to forget. We’re going to be in each other’s lives forever.”
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Kerri Walsh Jennings
May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings are the first women to win three Olympic medals in beach volleyball and the first players of either gender to win three beach volleyball gold medals.
“We’re really proud of what we did here,” Ross said. “I’m so proud of how we fought. We just didn’t have that same opportunity in this match. They didn’t let us back in. Kudos to them.
“We expected a battle and it wasn’t the battle we thought it was going to be.”
Related: Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh-Jennings Unbeatable in Sand (VIDEO)
“We want to seal the deal that we’re the best team that’s ever happened,” Walsh Jennings said Tuesday night after the pair beat China to move on to the gold-medal round China. “Misty has changed my life. I just love her. I want to win tomorrow for us.”
Both teams undoubtedly took to the sand full of determination – something Sitting Volleyball Paralympian Katie Holloway is well familiar with.
Holloway is the epitome of determination and resilience. Born without a fibula in her right leg, her leg was amputated when she was 20 months old. Twenty-five years later, she is a decorated basketball and volleyball player set to compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games later this month.
Watch Holloway discuss how she achieved athletic success through mentorship and hard work:
WATCH: 2016 Olympic Hopeful Beach Volleyball Player Steven VanderWerp on Olympic Dreams
This will be Holloway’s second Paralympic Games appearance. She hopes to inspire others to achieve their dreams, regardless of the obstacles in their way.
“What I do and what I stand for is enabling people with physical disabilities, but also looking at overcoming your adversity and trying to express that to everyone,” she told genConnect. “No matter what you’re going through, pushing forward and pushing past that is what I try to do in my life.
Click here for more of genConnect’s coverage of the 2012 Road to the Olympics
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Category: Lifestyle, Sports, Videos, Views on the News
