International Olympic Committee : News

Russian comeback wrecks Brazil's double hopes - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

With the Brazilian women beating the United States 3-1 in their final, the men looked on course to head to their home games in Rio in 2016 as defending champions too, opening up a 2-0 lead over Russia.

But the Europeans became the first side in men's Games history to overturn a two-set final deficit and leave with the top prize.

Their semi-final victims Bulgaria were beaten in the bronze medal match by an Italy side carried by the brilliant serving from Cristian Savani - the tournament's fourth top-scorer with 106 points. Russia's Maxim Mikhaylov led the way for the Games with 148.

All four sides would have been credible winners, though, seeing off the challenges of the likes of Poland and the defending champions the United States on the way. They were both quarter-final casualties, as were Argentina and Germany.

Australia, Great Britain, Serbia and Tunisia all went home after the group stages, with the hosts and the latter both failing to win a game.

In the women's tournament, Brazil beat the United States in the final.

Smarting from their Beijing loss to the same opponents they recruited the men's gold-winning coach of Hugh McCutcheon and seemed to have found the right formula, with his new-look side sweeping all before them thanks to the brilliance of 161-point Destinee Hooker and Foluke Akinradewo (95).

But they crumbled under the pressure of chasing a first-ever Olympic win, being swept aside 3-1 after taking the opening set to 11.

It was a significant victory for a Brazil side who will be hosting the Games next time around, for they had looked set to depart at the group stages when they were beaten in successive matches by the States and South Korea.

But, initially held together by Sheilla Castro (140 points) and the defensively-incredible Thaisa Menezes (110), they scraped through before inflicting a first defeat of 2012 on Russia in the quarter-finals and beating Japan in the semis.

Japan would still win a medal, though, taking bronze by seeing off South Korea in the play-off match. With Kim Yeong-koun, the tournament's top-scoring player with 207, obviously battle weary, Japan were able to produce a routine 3-0 win.

In the round-robin stages the Games said goodbye to Algeria, Great Britain, Serbia and Turkey, although the host nation did achieve the honour of becoming the first British team to win an Olympic match.

Russia stun Brazil for Volleyball gold - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

For the best part of three sets Russia looked a shadow of the side which had defeated Bulgaria in the semi-finals, lumbering around the court as Brazil picked points at will.

So easy was their march to victory looking that at 2-0 and 22-19 they sent on retiring captain Giba - a virtual spectator in London due to injury - to allow him the privilege of being on court when the medal was won.

That proved to be a bad move as Russia embarked on one of the most staggering comebacks the sport has seen to wrap up a fourth Olympic Volleyball title.

The final scoresheet read: 19-25, 20-25, 29-27, 25-22, 15-9.

Dmitriy Muserskiy used every part of his tall frame to plunder a match-winning 31 points.

On the other side, Brazil were no longer quick around the court and the previously-excellent Sergio could not feed Bruno who would in turn tee up Wallace and Murilo at the net.

The change was remarkable and a far cry from the start of the game when Brazil were desperate to ride the wave of support started by their victorious female counterparts last night.

They got out to 8-5 in front when the first time-out arrived, mixing some thunderous hitting from Wallace with some more delicate touches from Murilo as Russia failed to settle.

There was no stopping the duo - even a run of three Russia points on the serve of Sergey Tetyukhin made no difference - and when Wallace spiked his fifth point of the set, Brazil took it 25-19.

There was no let-up at the start of the second set either, despite Russia getting an early jump to 2-0. A brilliant block from Sidnei made it 2-2 and then the fine serving of he and Wallace got their side firmly in command at 8-4.

A theme had certainly emerged, with Russia doing their best to hit Brazil off the court only to be denied by Sergio, whose stunning defensive work would pave the way to a thunderous winner at the net.

The score got out to 22-17 when Dante Amaral's kill block won a back-and-forth thriller and, when the same player cracked a spike off Maxim Mikhaylov's fingertips, the set was won 25-20.

Knowing the grave nature of their situation, there appeared to be a greater steel about Russia at the start of the third set and they led at the first time-out, with Muserskiy finally imposing himself on the game with two telling spikes as they edged to 8-7.

A winner and a kill from Sidnei, and then a pair of spikes from Wallace spun the set back around in Brazil's favour and, although Sergey Grankin blocked to level at 15-all, Murilo got Brazil ahead at the second time-out.

It was all or nothing for Russia, and as Brazil shook a little they pounced, recovering from 22-19 to 22-22 and then, despite letting two set points slip through their fingers, eventually took it 29-27 when Muserskiy got an error out of Murilo.

The tables had turned at the start of the fourth, with Russia dictating the pace and picking up points on their own terms, with Maxim Mikhaylov's blocking putting them 8-7 up at the first break.

They continued to dominate after that, leading 15-12 when Brazil were hauled off the court for time-out, with serves going long and spikes persistently shut down.

It was one-way traffic and Russia duly took the set 25-22 before opening up a 3-1 lead in the decider when Amaral hit long.

And when in the fifth set a block from unsuspecting libero Alexey Obmochaev dropped in as a winner, the game was up at 12-6 and eventually Russia closed it out at 15-9.

Earlier in the day, Italy ended the Games on a high by taking the bronze medal with a 3-1 win over Bulgaria.

Mauro Berruto's men gamely shrugged off the disappointment of their semi-final whitewash at the hands of Brazil to take third prize - something they failed to do after a last-four defeat in Beijing four years ago.

Cristian Savani, who was unable to carry Italy against Brazil as he has done for most of the tournament, returned to form today, leaving the court with 23 points while Michal Lasko weighed in with 18.

Brazil retain title after thrilling final - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/11/2012 12:00:00 AM

In a repeat of the Beijing 2008 showpiece, the South Americans once again got the better of their arch-rivals, seeing them off by the same 3-1 score that was good enough four years ago.

As a result, the USA's wait for Volleyball gold goes on - this was their 10th failed attempt.

The USA started the final as the in-form team, with front-row pairing Foluke Akinradewo and Destinee Hooker virtually unplayable in their games so far, one of which was a 3-1 win over Brazil in the group stages.

And they began tonight in that manner, threatening to overpower Brazil as they stormed to the opening set in just 21 minutes.

Somehow, though, Brazil used the end-of-set break to completely transform themselves, returning to the court to produce the most devastating spell of Volleyball any side has produced throughout the 37 games that had preceded this one.

Their attack became virtually unplayable owing to its speed, and with Hooker shut down and restricted to a tournament-low 14 points, they stormed to victory, proving coach Roberto Guimaraes was not wrong when he said he had learned the lessons of the round-robin defeat.

'This is a wonderful feeling,' said Brazil coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes afterwards.

'For me, the US were the favourites before this match. We played very well tactically.

'After the second set we really played wonderful. We were serving well and we didn't make mistakes on reception.'

Earlier, Japan took the bronze medal by securing a straight-sets success over Republic of Korea. Masayoshi Manabe's side displayed a greater appetite from the first point as they wrapped up a first Games podium finish since 1984.

Champions into last four - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/7/2012 12:00:00 AM

Not for the first time in this tournament the Beijing 2008 gold medallists had to dig deep to make it through as they knocked Russia out 3-2 at the quarter-final stage. The two rivals battled it out over five amazing sets, with the South Americans the ones to hold their nerve.

It was some achievement to do so too, with Russia, previously unbeaten in 2012, failing to take six match points in the face of some incredible fifth-set defence from Brazil.

In libero Fabiana they had an edge and, thanks to the great work of her and her defensive colleagues, they were eventually able to progress.

Such was the drama that coach Roberto Guimaraes had to compose himself when he spoke to the media after the game.

'I don't know if my heart can cope with much more, oh my God,' he said.

'This game was a bit close and difficult, but my players knew what to do.'

The South Americans will now face Japan, who held their nerve in a five-set thriller with China to book their place in a sixth Olympic Games Volleyball semi-final.

The 28-26, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 18-16 battle lasted two hours and 15 minutes and when it eventually ended, the outpouring of emotion from both sides could not have been more contrasting.

Japan's players raced onto the court, jumping on each other, while China - the Athens 2004 winners - saw players slump to the floor, some of them in tears.

The statistics for both sides could hardly have been tighter. They won three points each on serve and 82 on spike, with Japan blocking 11 times and China 10. The latter made one unforced error more.

Yukiko Ebata and Saori Kimura equally shared 66 points for Japan, while for China Ruoqi Hui scored 26 and the incredible Yimei Wang set aside her injury worries to register 22.

In the other half of the draw, the USA continued to march towards the final after a straightforward victory over the Dominican Republic.

Foluke Akinradewo, Jordan Larson and Destinee Hooker contributed a combined tally of 42 points as the USA moved through, all though they were pushed by the battling Dominicans.

They were on the brink of victory for a considerable period of time in the third set but some wonderful resilience from the Dominicans kept them hanging on.

Up next for the USA is a meeting with the Republic of Korea, who ended the possibility of there being any European involvement in the semi-finals by seeing off Italy in four sets.

Inspired by the faultless Yeon-Koung Kim, who ended the night with 28 points, the Asian side had too much for Massimo Barbolini's women, proving too quick to handle over the course of 105 brilliant minutes.

Men's draw decided - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/6/2012 12:00:00 AM

Alan Knipe's men wrapped their round-robin campaign up with a 3-0 win against Tunisia today to top Pool B, while Italy finished fourth in Group A.

Bulgaria topped their pool after winning a straight shoot-out with Italy today and will face Germany - 3-0 losers to Brazil, although they did rest star man Gyorgy Grozer.

Poland were runners-up to Bulgaria despite losing to Australia this morning and will meet Russia, while Brazil and Argentina will also square up.

Australia, Great Britain, Serbia and Tunisia are the four sides to make an early exit.

The Host Nation went down to a 3-0 defeat against Argentina today, while Russia were straight-sets winners over Serbia.

Russia's Maxim Mikhaylov ended the group stage as the leading scorer with 93 points, just two more than Australia's Thomas Edgar.

Germany's Markus Steuerwald was rated as the competition's best libero, while Russia's tall Marko Padrascanin returned a top-scoring 81 blocks.

Women's quarter-final ties confirmed - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/4/2012 12:00:00 AM

Two sides finished with five wins from five - Russia in Group A and the United States in Group B.

Russia won the race to finish top of the pile, coming out on top 3-2 in a straight shoot-out with Italy this afternoon.

The world champions and their Italian rivals were neck and neck heading in to the clash and Russia twice came from behind to get over the line.

The USA, meanwhile, eased to a 3-0 win over Turkey to sign off their group stage campaign.

Russia will face defending champions Brazil - last-gasp qualifiers in Group B following a 3-0 win over Serbia in the day's late game - while the Dominican Republic lie in wait for the USA.

The Dominicans needed just 69 minutes to brush past Algeria to put themselves in the quarter-finals at the expense of Great Britain today.

China and Japan meet in an all-Asian affair after they beat Republic of Korea and Great Britain respectively today, while Italy will go up against Republic of Korea in the fourth and final encounter.

The quarter-finals take place on Tuesday.

Qualifying battle heats up - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/3/2012 12:00:00 AM

Turkey turned up the heat in Pool B by getting the better of Republic of Korea over five thrilling sets.

Marco Aurelio Motta's side are slowly growing in to the tournament, having gone through the first two games without victory.

They had shown promise in an opening-day loss to Brazil, though, and have since recorded a pair of wins, with today's marathon effort taking a little over two hours after they twice let a one-set lead slip.

The victory puts them above Brazil in the table, pushing the reigning champions back out of the qualification places despite their tense triumph over China in the morning.

Brazil now have to beat Serbia in their last game and even then progression would not be a certainty, while Turkey could still go through even if they lose to leaders the USA in their final game, depending on how Brazil fare.

The defending champion Brazilians survived an almighty scare against China to keep their gold medal defence alive.

The South Americans have been below their best so far in this tournament and a third defeat would have ruled them out of quarter-final qualification.

But they found a way to stay in touch through to their final fixture with so-far winless Serbia, with progression now in their own hands.

It had not looked that way when they squandered a fourth-set match point, but they responded well by getting an early jump on China to take the decider.

Meanwhile, Russia continued their excellent form by seeing off Japan over four sets to preserve their unbeaten record.

Having taken the first two sets, they offered up the third to a quick and agile Japan, before exerting their considerable height advantage again in the fourth.

Great Britain's first window of opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals was shut by the Dominican Republic, while the USA continue to sweep all before them after easing past winless Serbia.

Hugh McCutcheon's side, who are aiming for a first gold medal at the 10th time of asking, have been superb throughout the tournament, peaking with a 3-1 victory over Brazil earlier this week.

Their latest performance was not far behind, with their European opponents given little chance despite their imposing height at the net. They remain rooted to the bottom of Pool B.

The result confirms USA as the pool winners, with their round-robin campaign set to wrap up against in-form Turkey on Sunday.

In the final game of the night, Italy extended their unbeaten run to four games, getting the better of winless Algeria in straight sets.

The Europeans needed just 59 minutes to beat the world number 16s, ensuring the continuation of their 100 per cent record in Pool A in the process.

Champions make their mark - London 2012 - Volleyball

8/3/2012 12:00:00 AM

In a repeat of the 2008 final, USA - written off by many in the build-up to this tournament owing to a much-changed squad - came from a set down to leave rivals Brazil scratching their heads about how to stem the tide.

But they could not figure it out in time and, with both sides having started with 100 per cent records, Brazil were the ones to leave the court with a blemish against their name.

Captain Clay Stanley was magnificent for USA, spiking 16 times as part of his 19-point haul. On the other side of the net, Brazil failed to get a performance from their leader Giba, who contributed just two points as he was reduced to a bit-part role.

Despite the loss, Brazil remain second in the Pool B table with two games to go and are still favoured to make the last eight, while the USA are already there and will be looking to claim top billing ahead of the knockout stages.

Earlier in the day, Germany came back from two sets down to beat Serbia 3-2 in one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far.

Vital Heynen's squad defied the odds to record their first victory of the tournament, with the full scoreline 22-25, 27-29, 25-18, 25-20, 20-18. They remain outside the qualification places but now have a realistic chance of going through.

They left the court indebted to the work of the brilliant Gyorgy Grozer. He picked up a tournament-high 39 and, in the fifth set, Germany's plan was simply to tee him up to spike.

Runaway Pool A leaders and surprise package Bulgaria booked their quarter-final spot with a three-set win over Australia at Earls Court.

Although ranked ninth in the world, the Bulgarians have surprised many people with their performances so far, with this victory over a tricky Australian side another notable performance.

They found a way to stifle the Volleyroos' power-hitters - the excellent Thomas Edgar apart - and, with a quite brilliant block at the middle from the likes of Todor Aleksiev, they always had enough to get by.

Russia's men swept past Tunisia in the afternoon to boost their campaign.

The World Cup holders secured their second win in three attempts in a tough pool with Maxim Mikhaylov at the base of a clinical Russian performance, top-scoring with 15 points - two of them on serve.

Poland recovered from their surprise defeat to Bulgaria by whitewashing Argentina.

The World League champions have been heavily backed for success at these Games, but defeat to their European rivals on Tuesday put that under some question.

They responded with a routine win today, though - one which edges them closer to securing a place in the last eight.

In the final game of the night, Italy sent Great Britain to a third successive straight-sets defeat, with the number four-ranked side too cute, strong and tall for their hosts.

USA hand Brazil big defeat - London 2012 - Volleyball

7/30/2012 12:00:00 AM

Chasing what would be a first gold in 10 attempts, Hugh McCutcheon's side were almost faultless in front of a boisterous crowd, sending out the clearest of signals that 2012 could be their year.

Backed by the support of USA Basketball star Kobe Bryant - off-duty this afternoon - they got to grips with Brazil's delicate style before blowing them off the court by way of the brilliance at the net of Destinee Hooker and Foluke Akinradewo.

With Brazil struggling to get to the floor - especially with American's exceptional libero Nicole Davis dealing with all that came her way - they found themselves under increasing pressure and, after falling 12-11 behind, were never ahead again in the first set.

Twice Hooker shut down Jaqueline Carvalho and, with Jordan Larson chiming in with a potent spike, the set was seen out in surprisingly easy fashion.

The second set carried on in a similar vein, with America never behind at any stage, with their dominance so strong that they led by 10 points on two occasions.

It appeared that Brazil were headed for a straight-sets loss at that stage, but they finally clicked into the form that they are renowned for, roaring back to win the third owing to a change of approach.

Rather than looking to tip around USA's dynamic front row they opted to stand toe-to-toe with them, taking them on in the air, with Sheilla Castro plundering 13 points from the spike alone.

But they could not carry that momentum into the fourth set, with 23-point Hooker and the brilliant Larson returning to the form they had displayed in the opening two sets to see the game out.

Elsewhere, China beat Turkey 3-1 and there was also success for Host Nation Great Britain, who went beyond midnight to go the distance against Algeria at Earls Court and were rewarded with a first-ever win in Olympic Games competition.

Republic of Korea, Russia and Italy also came away with the points on an action-packed day.

Russia triumph over debut British team - London 2012 - Volleyball

7/29/2012 11:31:00 AM

Audrey Cooper's women were brimming with enthusiasm and matched their well-regarded opponents for the majority of the first set.

But a gulf in class eventually appeared, with concentration errors costing Great Britain the opener and giving Russia the platform they needed to secure an opening win 25-19 25-10 25-16.

Russia boast the two tallest players in the tournament and Britain often struggled to find rhythm. But Ciara Michel performed well up high, while Rachel Bragg and Grace Carter also displayed some hitting that will trouble Algeria on Monday.

The British squad took their first point in Olympic competition when Russia touched the net and after that managed to stay toe-to-toe with their opponents through to the first time-out.

Two piercing spikes from Bragg and Lynne Beattie had the audience on their feet, while some impressive work from Michel at the net largely stifled the 6ft 8in Ekaterina Gamova.

Russia found a way to pull clear after that break, edging three points ahead when GB touched the net and then Bragg served long. But Beattie and Carter prevented them from getting too far clear.

However, Bragg committed another service error that saw the gap go to a set-high five points and Russia saw it out 25-19.

Poor serving affected the hosts at the start of the second set too and coach Cooper called a technical time-out to try and steady the ship at 8-3.

The move did not work but to their credit, Britain stayed competitive, with captain Beattie doing her best to rally her team-mates.

However, it was not enough to prevent Russia running away with the match.