Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson had long faces. The silver medal they had just won was not the one they wanted. But their achievement was no less remarkable.
The Canadian duo fell to Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa of Brazil in a thrilling duel in the final of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament, which ended in three sets of 26-24, 21-12 and 15-10.
Not since the sport was introduced to the Games in 1996 had women won a medal for Canada – never even reaching the semifinals. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson had already made history long before the final match began.
But as long as they reached the final, they didn’t want to be extras. They were definitely up to the task.
The Canadians started the match like lionesses against the best duo in the world, who had only lost one set in the entire tournament up to that point.
PHOTO LOUISE DELMOTTE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes
In the first set, Brandie Wilkerson was unstoppable at the net, both in the block and in the offensive charges. Quickly, the Canadians built a comfortable six-point lead, which they maintained for a good while.
However, trailing 7-13, the Brazilians began to gradually close the gap, until they tied the score at 17-17, and even took the lead. The belligerents then exchanged points, causing a long tiebreaker that went to the advantage of Silva Ramos and Santos Lisboa.
Despite their squandered lead in the first set, the Canadians did not lose their focus at the start of the next one. After a tight battle until 10-10, the Brazilians began to multiply the errors and unforced errors. It was then Humana-Paredes who stood out, making the most of her timely readings of the game and her precise shots. The Canadians never looked back until winning easily 21-12.
PHOTO ESA ALEXANDER, REUTERS
Eduarda Santos Lisboa and Ana Patricia Silva Ramos
The Brazilians, however, pulled themselves together for the final set, cleaning up the mistakes in their game and hitting all the opportune points. The duel ended with a missed counter from Wilkerson.
The Brazilians collapsed in tears of joy, while the Canadians retreated to the sidelines. The defeat was understandably painful. But the victory for the advancement of their sport in Canada was very real.