Olympic Beach Volleyball: May-Treanor Named Women’s Olympic Beach Volleyball Most Outstanding Player
Competing as the second-seeded tandem in the 24-team Beijing 2008 Olympic Games field, May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh captured their second Summer Games gold medal here Thursday at the 12,200-seat Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground, by defeating top-seeded Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China 21-18 and 21-18 win in 42 minutes.
Thursday’s win was the 14th-straight Olympic Beach Volleyball victory for May-Treanor and Walsh as the Americans posted the identical same record in winning the Athens 2004 Olympic Games by not losing a set. Walsh, who was named the Athens Most Outstanding Player, finished second this time as May-Treanor was the runner-up in the Greek capital city.
“We worked so hard for this,” said the 31-year May-Treanor. “This match (against Tian and Wang) was so big. We have just gone back-to-back in the Olympics (winning gold medals). No one has ever done that (in Beach Volleyball). I am so lucky; this is so special (the gold medal). Kerri and I love each other. We have been training for so long. Gold was our goal and we did it.”
As for winning the Most Outstanding Player for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, May-Treanor was not immediately available to comment as she and her partner were busy with numerous newspaper, radio and television. But in previous conversations about winning awards, May-Treanor always offered a quote about “winning as a team. That goes for individual honors; I share each award with my partner.”
The 2002 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour champions with Walsh, May-Treanor has also been honored internationally with the following awards:
• The most outstanding player in 2005.
• The best defender in 2007.
• The best offensive player in 2005 and shared the award with Walsh in 2007.
• The best setter in 2005.
• The the top sportsperson in 2007 with Walsh.
Thursday’s win for May-Treanor and Walsh was their 69th-straight FIVB match victory since losing 21-19 and 21-19 to Tian and Wang last year in a semi-final match at the Norwegian Grand Slam on June 30 in Stavanger.
Since winning a bronze medal at the 2006 season finale in Thailand after being defeated by Chen Xue and Xi Zhang China in the semi-finals, May-Treanor and Walsh have posted an 82-1 match mark on the international tour with 11 gold medals in 12 events. Overall, the Americans have won a team record 35 FIVB gold medals in 59 events with 44 appearances in finals.
Three-time SWATCH-FIVB World champions, May-Treanor and Walsh have now compiled a combined mark of 40-1 for two Olympic and four world championship events since forming their partnership in April 2001. In winning Beijing gold in two sets, the Americans have now won 47-straight sets.
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