Final U.S. Berths Are Secured

Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana clinched an Olympic berth Saturday by advancing to the semifinals of the Belgium Open at Ostende, Belgium.

With a 15-12 victory over Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkel, Blanton and Fonoimoana passed Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson in the Olympic qualifying standings and secured the final U.S. spot.

Kiraly, a three-time gold medal winner, dislocated his shoulder on Wednesday and was unable to earn more points toward qualifying for next month’s Sydney Games.

Blanton and Fonoimoana, who needed to finish fourth or better to pass Kiraly and Johnson, trailed Smith and Henkel, 5-0, but tied the score, 10-10, before scoring five of the final seven points to win the match.

Blanton, a Santa Monica resident, and Fonoimoana, a Hermosa Beach resident, defeated Emanuel Rego and Jose Loiola, the top team in the world, by a 15-12 score earlier Saturday.

Kevin Wong and Rob Heidger, who clinched the other U.S. spot, finished ninth at the tournament.

Holly McPeak and Misty May clinched the final U.S. women’s berth by advancing to the final of the FIVB event in Dalian, China. McPeak and May defeated China’s Zi Xiong and Rong Chi, 17-16, in today’s semifinals.

In today’s final, they will play Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs, who defeated Portugal’s Maria Jose and Ana Cristina, 15-6. Masakayan and Youngs needed to win the tournament and have May and McPeak finish fourth to qualify for the U.S. team.

Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan have clinched the other U.S. spot.