Gstaad, Switzerland, July 29, 2007. Dalhausser/Rogers joined compatriots Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh as USA gold medal winners this weekend by defeating Dmitri Barsouk and Igor Kolodinsky of Russia in the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Gstaad (SUI). Aussie men Andrew Schacht and Joshua Slack net bronze medal. In the women’s competition, May-Treanor/Walsh claimed their third-straight World Championships gold medals, winning their 22nd-straight international match with a 2:0-victory over Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China. The best European women's teams, Claasen-Röder and Pohl-Rau from Germany, finished 5th.
After eliminating reigning Olympic champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos of Brazil in the morning’s first semi-final match, Dalhausser and Rogers claimed gold, beating the European top team Dmitri Barsouk and Igor Kolodinsky of Russia 21-16 and 21-14 in the 45-minute finale. In addition to sharing the US$60,000 first-place prize in the $1-million “Beach Volleyball Bash” in the Swiss Alps, Dalhausser and Rogers will benefit from the 1,000 points towards qualifying for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. A tandem’s best eight finishes on the FIVB World Tour through July 20, 2008 will count towards qualifying for the 24-team field. “This weekend was about Beach Volleyball, but not just about Beach Volleyball,” said the 33-year Rogers, who was named the most outstanding player for the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships. “For me, these experiences are what I will remember. It not only is the competition, but it is about the fans in the stands, the beautiful surroundings and the overall atmosphere of good feelings generated this weekend.” Kolodinsky and Barsouk become the most successful Russian Beach Volleyball team since the start of the FIVB World Tour in 1987 by winning the silver medals of the 2007 FIVB Championships. Russia had only one bronze medal and two “final four” finishes in the first 20 years of the international circuit as Kolodinsky and Barsouk were playing in their sixth semi-final this season with bronze medal finishes in Italy, Croatia and last week in Marseille.
Andrew Schacht and Joshua Slack ended Brazil’s run of men’s medals at the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships as the Australians upset top-ranked Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos here Sunday afternoon before a jammed-packed crowd of 9,000 Beach Volleyball fans for the bronze medal match. With their 21-17 and 21-19 win in 42 minutes, Schacht and Slack also became the first Australian men’s team to medal at the world championships as the Athens 2004 Olympians collected their biggest payday on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour with US$35,000 for the third-place finish.
As Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh stood atop an international Beach Volleyball podium with their third-straight SWATCH-FIVB World Championships gold medals around their neck, one only wonders if America’s most successful team ever can maintain their level of play through next summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. In becoming the first men’s or women’s team to win three-straight world titles since the start of the FIVB championships in 1997, May-Treanor and Walsh won a pair of “final four” matches over teams from China at the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships to share the US$60,000 first-place prize in the $1-million “Beach Bash” in the Swiss Alps. Larissa/Juliana (BRA) took bronze with a tiebreak-victory over Xue-Zhang Xi (CHN).
The German teams of Helke Claasen/Antje Roder and Stephanie Pohl/Okka Rau finished 5th, losing their quarter-final matches against the two top-seeded teams Larissa/Juliana and May-Treanor/Walsh. Claasen and Roder gained a spot in the “elite eight” by defeating German compatriots Rieke Brink-Abeler and Hella Jurich 16-21, 31-29 and 16-14. Pohl and Rau secured their quarter-final qualification by defeating Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro with a 21-19 and 21-15 victory.
After eliminating reigning Olympic champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos of Brazil in the morning’s first semi-final match, Dalhausser and Rogers claimed gold, beating the European top team Dmitri Barsouk and Igor Kolodinsky of Russia 21-16 and 21-14 in the 45-minute finale. In addition to sharing the US$60,000 first-place prize in the $1-million “Beach Volleyball Bash” in the Swiss Alps, Dalhausser and Rogers will benefit from the 1,000 points towards qualifying for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. A tandem’s best eight finishes on the FIVB World Tour through July 20, 2008 will count towards qualifying for the 24-team field. “This weekend was about Beach Volleyball, but not just about Beach Volleyball,” said the 33-year Rogers, who was named the most outstanding player for the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships. “For me, these experiences are what I will remember. It not only is the competition, but it is about the fans in the stands, the beautiful surroundings and the overall atmosphere of good feelings generated this weekend.” Kolodinsky and Barsouk become the most successful Russian Beach Volleyball team since the start of the FIVB World Tour in 1987 by winning the silver medals of the 2007 FIVB Championships. Russia had only one bronze medal and two “final four” finishes in the first 20 years of the international circuit as Kolodinsky and Barsouk were playing in their sixth semi-final this season with bronze medal finishes in Italy, Croatia and last week in Marseille.
Andrew Schacht and Joshua Slack ended Brazil’s run of men’s medals at the SWATCH-FIVB World Championships as the Australians upset top-ranked Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos here Sunday afternoon before a jammed-packed crowd of 9,000 Beach Volleyball fans for the bronze medal match. With their 21-17 and 21-19 win in 42 minutes, Schacht and Slack also became the first Australian men’s team to medal at the world championships as the Athens 2004 Olympians collected their biggest payday on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour with US$35,000 for the third-place finish.
As Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh stood atop an international Beach Volleyball podium with their third-straight SWATCH-FIVB World Championships gold medals around their neck, one only wonders if America’s most successful team ever can maintain their level of play through next summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. In becoming the first men’s or women’s team to win three-straight world titles since the start of the FIVB championships in 1997, May-Treanor and Walsh won a pair of “final four” matches over teams from China at the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships to share the US$60,000 first-place prize in the $1-million “Beach Bash” in the Swiss Alps. Larissa/Juliana (BRA) took bronze with a tiebreak-victory over Xue-Zhang Xi (CHN).
The German teams of Helke Claasen/Antje Roder and Stephanie Pohl/Okka Rau finished 5th, losing their quarter-final matches against the two top-seeded teams Larissa/Juliana and May-Treanor/Walsh. Claasen and Roder gained a spot in the “elite eight” by defeating German compatriots Rieke Brink-Abeler and Hella Jurich 16-21, 31-29 and 16-14. Pohl and Rau secured their quarter-final qualification by defeating Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro with a 21-19 and 21-15 victory.
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