Tag Archives: April Ross

Mariafe Artacho del Solar Takes Home Silver in Women’s Beach Volleyball at Tokyo Games

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2020 Tokyo Games

It may not be the color she’d aimed for, but Mariafe Artacho del Solar is officially an Olympic medalist…

The 27-year-old Peruvian Australian beach volleyball player and her partner Taliqua Clancy claimed the silver medal in women’s beach volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Mariafe Artacho del Solar i

Artacho del Solar and Clancy, who upset the World No. 1 and reigning world champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada, in the quarterfinals, lost their gold medal match to Team USA’s April Ross and Alix Klineman in straight sets (15-21, 16-21).

According to volleyballmag.com, the teams played against each other five times before meeting at the Olympics with the Australians holding a 3-2 edge. Artacho del Solar and Clancy won the most recent match on May 1 in the semifinals of the FIVB Cancun four-star tournament.

This is Artacho del Solar’s first Olympic medal. She made her Games debut at the 2016 Rio Games with then-partner Nicole Laird, where they finished in 19th place.

Bednarczuk & Seixas Take Home the Silver in Women’s Beach Volleyball at the 2016 Rio Games

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2016 Rio Games

It was close, but no cigar for Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas…

The Brazilian beach volleyball players, the reigning FIVB Beach Volleyball world champions, lost to Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst in the gold medal match on Copacabana Beach at the 2016 Rio Games.

Agatha Bednarczuk & Barbara Seixas

The 21-18, 21-14 victory gave Germany its first medal in women’s beach volleyball, just four years after the German men took the top spot on the Olympic podium at the 2012 London Games.

Bednarczuk and Seixas’ loss comes on the heels of their victory over April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings, who was gunning for her fourth straight Olympic gold in beach volleyball.

In that semifinal match, Bednarczuk and Seixas overcame a two-point deficit in the first set and scored points on two significant rallies in the second set to defeat the Americans.

Seeded second in the competition, Bednarczuk and Seixas had posted a 2-0 (22-20, 21-18) win in 48 minutes over the third-seeded Americans in the fifth international meeting between the two teams.  Ross and Walsh Jennings had won the previous two matches and led 3-1 heading into the Rio semifinal.

Felisberta & França Survive China to Claim Bronze at the London Games

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London Olympics 2012

Talk about a bronzetastic comeback…

Juliana Felisberta and Larissa França staged an electrifying comeback at the 2012 Olympic Games to claim the bronze in women’s beach volleyball on Wednesday after being thisclose to defeat.

Juliana Felisberta & Larissa França

The 29-year-old Felisberta and 30-year-old França—Brazil’s great hope for the gold on the imported sands at Horse Guards Parade prior to the start of the London Games—managed to turn the beach around to beat China’s Xue Chen and Zhang Xi after being within two points of losing the match and ending their Olympic run off the medal stand completely.

The Chinese duo looked unstoppable at the beginning of the match, winning the first set 21-11 and taking an early lead in the second set. But Felisberta and França, the reigning world champions, managed to dig their way back into the match.

Juliana Felisberta & Larissa França

Xue and Zhang led 19-17 but the Brazilian duo didn’t panic. Instead, they clawed their way back and eventually clinched the second set 21-19.

Felisberta and França held onto a narrow lead in the third set, with the Chinese team mounting powerful attacks until the end. The Brazilian pair finally nailed the set and the match 15-12.

Juliana Felisberta & Larissa França

Felisberta and França had arrived in London as the favorites, but their golden dreams were dashed on Tuesday when they were upset in the semifinals by Americans Jennifer Kessy and April Ross.