Beach Volleyball | A historic silver medal

(Paris) Under the magnificently illuminated Eiffel Tower, the eyes of Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes were still sparkling on the night of Friday to Saturday, an hour after receiving their silver medals.

Yet they had just lost the gold to Brazilians Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Duda Santos Lisboa in three sets (26-24, 12-21, 15-10). But Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes had just made history by becoming the first Canadian beach volleyball players to reach the Olympic podium.

When Wilkerson’s final block at the net fell off-line, she immediately went to her partner. As cruel as the loss was, seeing the sea of ​​Brazilian fans flood the courtside with their giant flags didn’t dampen their spirits. They knew before the matchup began that they were up against a better team, on paper.

Either way, the medal was assured. And history was already made. “I’m so happy to be part of Canadian beach volleyball history. I’ll never be able to get it out of my head. I’m so proud to be doing it with Melissa. I think this medal is a reflection of all our hard work. Whether it’s gold or not,” explained Wilkerson, a fierce fighter who was nonetheless pleased with her second-place finish.

The two Toronto natives have been a duo since the fall of 2022, when Volleyball Canada decided to go all-in on Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes. The former parted ways with Heater Bensley and the latter with Sarah Pavan. The federation had orchestrated everything to allow Canada to reach the podium in Paris.

Despite this, the two best players in Canada have refused, since their association, to measure their success by the number of medals. “Our goal, when we became a team, was to become role models for the new generation, but above all, to change the discourse that we hear all the time. Canada is a winter country, but we are really very good at beach volleyball!”

Humana-Paredes, the daughter of two Chilean political refugees, hopes that this medal can serve as a lesson and an example: “We hope to be able to show young girls, more specifically young girls of color, that you can accomplish anything when you put in the effort. There is not just one role model for a female player. If you are interested, if you like to see us play, try it,” she implored, in tears.

So close and so far

Galvanized by the grandeur of the moment, the splendor of the stadium and the boos of a mostly Brazilian crowd, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes came out of the blocks as if this Olympic final was a sprint.

Trailing 7-2, Duda and Ana Patricia called a timeout. The world’s top-ranked duo had lost their bearings on the court as the Canadians controlled the pace of the match. Humana-Paredes, in particular, didn’t let anything slip in defense. She was everywhere at once to turn her rivals’ attacks around. As if she were capable of slowing down time to get to every ball.

However, a beach volleyball match is more like a marathon than a sprint. The Brazilians pulled themselves together and won the set 26-24.

“We never gave up and you could see it in the way we responded in the second set,” Humana-Paredes reiterated. Indeed, she and her partner flew through the second set with disconcerting ease. They played without complexes in front of rivals who had the gold medal within reach. The Brazilians were hypnotized by their opponents.

But in the final round, the 2022 world champions and 2023 runners-up showed their true colors. Notably Duda, who was imperial on counterattacks and surgical on her attacks. At the end of the round, “simply because we missed our chances and left a lot of points on the table,” explained Humana-Paredes, the Canadians let their opponents slip away to the top step of the podium.

The route

Because she came so close, Humana-Paredes blamed herself. “You can prepare as best you can, come in on a given day and not play to the extent you’re capable of.”

It seemed like this match was within their reach. But the seventh-ranked duo in the world was facing the first. The Brazilians had claimed seven titles since 2022, compared to two for the Canadians. In their way of managing key moments and never panicking despite considerable score gaps, Duda and Ana Patricia proved why they have been the best duo on the planet for the past three years.

The fact remains that the Canadians gave them a tough match, enough to worry those who were undefeated in six matches since the start of the Olympic fortnight. They had only lost one set.

The tension was such that in the third inning, Wilkerson and Ana Patricia got into a fight in midfield, swearing at each other through the net. The argument lasted a few minutes. It was a rather unusual situation in this sport known for its good understanding. “Honestly, there was just a miscommunication,” Wilkerson swore afterward. “After a big play, I saw my family behind me and I made a celebratory gesture and they thought I was taunting them. Afterwards, we were wondering who had started the insults and we misunderstood each other.”

To calm the ardor of the two competitors, the person in charge of music at the Eiffel Tower stadium played the piece Imagineby John Lennon. “It was hilarious!” Wilkerson confirmed.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” sang the former Beatles star in 1971.

About 50 years later, two Canadian women with the same ambitions found each other. Together, in the heart of the City of Lights, they realized their dream while paving the way for future generations to do the same. If not more.

“We showed a lot of people what we could do and what two talented and determined players could do,” Humana-Paredes insisted. “No matter what your ranking is, what your statistics are, you have to fight until the end.”

And no one can blame them for failing in their task.