LONDON -- The most decorated Olympians in beach volleyball history ended their storied partnership Wednesday with a gold medal, a sandy embrace and the most exuberant bikini-clad victory dance the iconic Horse Guards Parade had ever seen.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings won their third gold medal in as many Games, beating fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy 21-16, 21-16 in a tight match that lasted only 38 minutes. After securing the final point on a Ross serve that sailed out of bounds, the winning pair dropped to their knees in the sand and hugged.
They took separate victory laps around the Horse Guards Parade, the historic grounds where Henry VIII once held jousting matches and Queen Elizabeth II now marks her birthdays. After kissing her family and posing for pictures with fans, May-Treanor ran back to the court and performed the running man, her trademark dance move, as the heavily pro-American crowd erupted in cheers.
Walsh Jennings, meanwhile, draped herself in an American flag and grabbed her two young sons -- both born since the Beijing Games -- in celebration.
"I don't have words," Walsh Jennings said. "I'm so pleased and so grateful. I'm not articulate right now, I'm so overwhelmed. It's insane. It doesn't feel real. I am scared that I might wake up tomorrow and discover that we have to replay that match."
As the pair waited to receive their medals, they hugged again and a tearful Walsh Jennings kissed her partner's hand. May-Treanor later grabbed Walsh Jennings' hand during the national anthem and held it as the U.S. flag was raised over Downing Street, just a few yards from the British prime minister's residence.
May-Treanor later joked that the third gold medal was her birthday gift to Walsh Jennings, who turns 34 this month.
"I wanted to do this for her and finish in this way for both of us," May-Treanor said. "We've lived so much life together."
The win marks the end of an 11-year partnership that has spanned three Olympics, three world championship titles and an amazing stretch of 112 consecutive victories. The pair won all 21 Olympic matches they played, losing only one set.
May-Treanor, 35, plans to retire after these Games to start a family. Walsh Jennings wants to compete in Rio in four years.
"They're the best of all time," said Kessy, who has known both since high school. "It doesn't feel too bad coming in second to them."
The third gold medal didn't come as easily as the first two. After taking a two-year break after Beijing and playing with other partners for a short time, the pair arrived in London as underdogs, having performed inconsistently at a grand prix event in June and having finished second at last year's world championship in Rome.
They also grappled with personal obligations, as Walsh Jennings' priorities shifted after she became a mother. May-Treanor adjusted to her teammate's new life and embraced her growing family, particularly the two little boys who refer to her as "Auntie Turtle."
The changes could have threatened the partnership, but it ended up bolstering their friendship, Walsh Jennings said. Where their relationship once had been almost entirely about volleyball, the game now plays a minor role.
And that's what makes this gold medal a little more special than the others, both said.
"Our journey these past two years has changed my life," Walsh Jennings said. "It sounds cheesy and dramatic to say so, but it's changed me.
"Now that our competition journey is done, it crushes me a little bit. But now we're going to share our families and our lives, and I am so pleased we went out the way we did."
sstclair@tribune.com
Twitter @stacystclair
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings won their third gold medal in as many Games, beating fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy 21-16, 21-16 in a tight match that lasted only 38 minutes. After securing the final point on a Ross serve that sailed out of bounds, the winning pair dropped to their knees in the sand and hugged.
Walsh Jennings, meanwhile, draped herself in an American flag and grabbed her two young sons -- both born since the Beijing Games -- in celebration.
"I don't have words," Walsh Jennings said. "I'm so pleased and so grateful. I'm not articulate right now, I'm so overwhelmed. It's insane. It doesn't feel real. I am scared that I might wake up tomorrow and discover that we have to replay that match."
As the pair waited to receive their medals, they hugged again and a tearful Walsh Jennings kissed her partner's hand. May-Treanor later grabbed Walsh Jennings' hand during the national anthem and held it as the U.S. flag was raised over Downing Street, just a few yards from the British prime minister's residence.
May-Treanor later joked that the third gold medal was her birthday gift to Walsh Jennings, who turns 34 this month.
"I wanted to do this for her and finish in this way for both of us," May-Treanor said. "We've lived so much life together."
The win marks the end of an 11-year partnership that has spanned three Olympics, three world championship titles and an amazing stretch of 112 consecutive victories. The pair won all 21 Olympic matches they played, losing only one set.
May-Treanor, 35, plans to retire after these Games to start a family. Walsh Jennings wants to compete in Rio in four years.
"They're the best of all time," said Kessy, who has known both since high school. "It doesn't feel too bad coming in second to them."
The third gold medal didn't come as easily as the first two. After taking a two-year break after Beijing and playing with other partners for a short time, the pair arrived in London as underdogs, having performed inconsistently at a grand prix event in June and having finished second at last year's world championship in Rome.
They also grappled with personal obligations, as Walsh Jennings' priorities shifted after she became a mother. May-Treanor adjusted to her teammate's new life and embraced her growing family, particularly the two little boys who refer to her as "Auntie Turtle."
The changes could have threatened the partnership, but it ended up bolstering their friendship, Walsh Jennings said. Where their relationship once had been almost entirely about volleyball, the game now plays a minor role.
And that's what makes this gold medal a little more special than the others, both said.
"Our journey these past two years has changed my life," Walsh Jennings said. "It sounds cheesy and dramatic to say so, but it's changed me.
"Now that our competition journey is done, it crushes me a little bit. But now we're going to share our families and our lives, and I am so pleased we went out the way we did."
sstclair@tribune.com
Twitter @stacystclair
