Brazil wins men’s beach volleyball final and brings gold back to Brazil

Brazil’s duo Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt today defeated Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo 20 to win Brazil’s first gold in beach volleyball in 12 years.

The Brazilian duo, reigning world champions, finished the final with a score of 2119 and 2117 in a quick match of just 45 minutes. The decider was played under a light rain at the packed Copacabana stadium.

This is the second Olympic beach volleyball gold for Brazil after they won the first gold in Athens 2004 Olympics with Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego.

The victory marked Bruno Schmidt’s first Olympic medal and Alison’s second.

Last night, Brazil’s women beach volleyball dream was spoiled after Brazil’s Agatha and Barbara were defeated by Germans Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst and Talita and Larissa, also from Brazil, lost to USA’s Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross in the match for bronze.

In the men’s bronze medal match, the Dutch duo Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, beat Russia’s Konstantin Semenov and Viacheslav Krasilnikov 2321 and 2220.