August 10, 2012 – This is my second Olympic Games working for Brazil’s
Globo SportTV and this is even more exciting and thrilling than
Beijing was four years ago. I know I have learned a lot as a
commentator in the last four years. Kind of like being a player, you
must always learn, improve and grow or those that do will pass you by
in a hurry.
I thought more last night about Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh and
I cried a lot because I understand the talent, commitment, sacrifice,
passion, love of the sport, practice, mental strength, and emotional
strength that it takes for a person to compete at this level.
If anyone has lived up to the theme of this year’s London 2012 Olympic
Games, to ‘Inspire a generation’, it would be this great American
team. Not one of them, but both of them.
For those who know me, you know I am pretty emotional. But as I
carried some more tears of joy last night, that I was able to
understand and to be here to experience what they accomplished on the
court, I kept asking myself what drove them to get here to succeed
here and to thrive here. It finally came to me.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh both have so many things that other
athletes have too, and while wisdom may be one of their key strengths,
I believe what is in them that drives them to reach the unreachable
and to achieve something that is totally unbelievable is that they
both have in their souls and in their hearts, the Olympic spirit!
That intangible ingredient that makes good teams better and great
teams unbeatable.
Jackie Silva and I won five Olympic matches in 1996 and I thought was
tough and it earned us the gold medal. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri
Walsh have now won 21 consecutive Olympic matches without a loss and
earned three gold medals. And, in that time they also took two years
off, May-Treanor because of injuries and Walsh to have two children.
They weren’t having a good season this year on the FIVB SWATCH World
Tour and here they are at the very top, the pinnacle of our sport.
That’s the Olympic spirit. Inside Misty and Kerri is where it lives,
the like eternal flame that burns in every Olympic stadium.
Being Brazilian, the toughest match for me was the semifinal between
Brazil’s Juliana and Larissa and USA’s Kessy and Ross. After winning
the first set and seeming to be in control, the Americans changed
tactics and started serving only Larissa which seldom happens.
Before you know it, the Americans were back in the match and in the
end they made fewer mistakes and Juliana and Larissa didn’t have an
answer for them this time. The Americans are big and Juliana and
Larissa didn’t seem to communicate as much as they usually do.
Then in the bronze medal match, it looked like Juliana and Larissa
where still thinking about the loss to the Americans and China’s Xue
and Zhang won the first set, but the Brazilians woke up, rallied and
played like I knew they could and the won it in three. The Chinese are
a great team, and they had two very, very tough losses in the final
four.
I felt the top three teams in the Olympics this year were Brazil’s
Juliana and Larissa, USA’s Misty and Kerri and China’s Chen and Xi.
The experience and focus of Misty and Kerri was worth 10 points in
each set.
Nobody in this sport has bigger hearts and mental strength than Misty
and Kerri.
They have fun, they enjoyed playing the game.
The atmosphere here in London has been so terrific and for Rio 2016,
we have a lot of work to do to compete with the memory people have of
Horse Guards Parade.
The sand here was perfect and the stadium was magnificent, the music
was great and the spectators, oh my, I couldn’t believe how many
thousands more people were here for every single session in the
biggest stadium in Olympic history.
There are also so many great young teams heading up the ladder and
it’s good to see so many. I just hope that they keep motivated and
maybe someone, someday, will catch a dose of the Olympic spirit that
Misty and Kerri have embodied for the last three Olympic Games.
Bregado….see you in Rio 2016.
From Brazil, Sandra is a three-time Olympian, wining gold in
the first year for beach volleyball as a medal sport in 1996 in Atlanta
with Jackie Silva, bronze with Adriana Samuel in 2000 in Sydney and
fifth in Athens with Ana Paula Connelly. She is in London as one of the
announcers for the Brazil telecasts of the beach volleyball competition
for Globo SportTV. She will also work as a commentator for Globo
SportTV’s coverage of the Brazilian national tour when it resumes in
September.
As we say farewell to all our old friends and new friends on this
final day of our beach volleyball competition at these London 2012
Olympic Games, I feel humble and honoured to have been a part of it as
an Australian TV commentator as well as just a spectator enjoying
every serve, dig, set, kill, celebration and disappointment that
unfolded on the sand of the court at Horse Guards Parade.
Okay, now that I have regained my emotions and gathered my thoughts
into coherent words, phrases and sentences, I will attempt to not get
all choked up while I write about the unbelievable display of
sportsmanship, athleticism, passion and love for our cherished sport I
experienced Wednesday night at the women’s medal matches. They were so
enthralling I almost, and I repeat almost forgot that Prince Harry was
there enjoying, embracing and appreciating the world’s best women’s
best beach volleyball players as he watched with admiration both medal
matches.
As memorable as the two women’s semifinals were, the medal matches
were from another planet!
Well, what can I say that hasn’t already been said by nearly everyone
from the North Pole to Argentina. I think the volleyball world is a
little taken aback and kind of in shock by the enormity of what Kerri
Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have done in leaving a lasting legacy for
our sport in general and especially our sport in the Olympic Games.
Unbelievable, unquestionable, unreachable – there are simply no words
that can describe their achievement.
When they came into these Olympics, after having one win in the past
12 months, I thought they had an outside chance of gold. I knew they
would reach the semifinals but it all depended upon who would have the
courage and the strength of mind to beat them on this grand stage.
But, it appears no team in the world has the ability to rise to the
top, both physically and mentally, on such a big occasion as Kerri and
Misty do. Will we ever see this again? I doubt it.
Will their style of play be copied for years to come? Absolutely
should be.
They are a brand for our sport. No need for surnames – “Kerri and
Misty” have not only written the history books, they have printed them
and given them out to all the world.
Jen and April ran their race, played their gold medal match, the night
before. Beating Larissa and Juliana in the semifinals was such a big
task for them, I don’t think they had time to let it all sink in. They
didn’t possess the same belief that Kerri and Misty did. I don’t think
anyone could have stopped their train last night.
The bronze medal match was a big surprise for me. Not because Brazil’s
Juliana and Larissa won, but because of how they won. While China’s
truly great Chen Xue and Xi Zhang seemed to have had it wrapped up,
one and a half sets into the match, Brazil came from nowhere to steal
the match.
The first set was lost by Brazil, who obviously hadn’t gotten over
their disappointment of not making the final. They played without the
normal passion and flair they have had all tournament.
Then, after an inspiring block from Juliana and some words from her to
her partner, Larissa, it seemed they woke themselves up and realized
that if they didn’t get into this match they could be leaving the
Olympic Games with nothing.
This surprised the Chinese and their game tightened up. A few unforced
errors from China and Brazil was back in the race, winning the second
set.
After this rush of blood, Juliana and Larissa came alive and were just
too good for China.
So, after 11 days, amazing weather and welcoming crowds, the women’s
competition at the London 2012 London Olympic Games is over. But, wow,
what memories we leave with from appreciating the talent, dedication
and sacrifice of not only the veteran more experienced players but
also the passionate aggression of our sport’s new generation of
developing women’s beach volleyball athletes.
I hasten to say it, but the atmosphere at these Games has been the
best ever. It surpasses Sydney’s Bondi Beach, and you should know what
those Sydney 2000 Olympic Games mean to me, and we can only wonder how
Rio 2016 will be able to top this!
Cheers everyone. See you on the court.
Kerri Pottharst is a former Australian beach volleyball and
volleyball player and famously won gold along with Nathalie Cook at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games in front of her home fans. She also claimed
bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and competed at the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games. She last played on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World
Tour in 2004 but since then has married and had a 5 year old son called
Tyson. She is a highly sought after Motivational Speaker as well as
spending time on the sand coaching beach volleyball. Most recently, Kerri
has released a book titled “The Business of Being an Athlete” a
step-by-step guide on how the right attitude, the right tools, and the
right approach took her from being a part-time athlete to becoming a
multi-award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a
successful entrepreneur. www.kerripottharst.com
First of all, before I get into the men’s semifinal and medal matches,
I have to say that the women’s semifinals and medal matches have been
at a level not seen before in the history of beach volleyball,
especially in the Olympic Games. Just unbelievable but so encouraging
for our sport as we finish this Olympic cycle and begin a new four
years of preparing for Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The men’s semifinals went more according to script as the favorites
clearly rose to the occasion and pretty much dominated as Brazil’s
Alison and Emanuel and Germany’s Brink and Reckermann won and will
meet Thursday night in what should be an epic closing to the beach
volleyball competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
I was impressed with Brazil’s Alison and Emanuel how they bounced back
from near defeat by Poland’s Fijalek and Prudel in the quarterfinals
and controlled Latvia’s less experienced Plavins and Smedins.
They quickly regained they confidence, as the Latvians’ blocking isn’t
their strong suit so they have to go with their defense but Alison’s
work and the net and Emanuel’s much-improved offense all of the court
spelled quick doom for Plavins and Smedins who have played very well
in these Olympic Games.
The power of Alison took over immediately which opened things up for
Emanuel.
In the other semifinal, Germany’s Brink and Reckermann steamrolled
Netherlands’ Nummerdor and Schuil, with Reckermann’s blocking and
Brink’s defence, I haven’t seen them play this well maybe ever. Each
match here in the Olympics they have gotten better and better.
Now the German’s have a great opportunity in the gold medal match.
The bronze medal match will depend on the defense of both the Dutch
and the Latvians. If the Latvians can get back to their rallying play
with big saves that will help them, but Nummerdor and Schuil are a
veteran team with tons of experience that won’t allow things to become
easy for Plavins and Smedins.
Nummerdor and Schuil should be able with their experience and their
power game be able to exert a little more pressure than Plavins and
Smedins so I give the edge to the Dutch for the bronze medal.
The gold medal match will be a battle between the two best blockers in
beach volleyball in Alison and Reckermann and Emanuel the legendary
offensive player and Brink the best defensive player so it could
easily go to tiebreaker to determine the champion and each set could
also easily go to overtime as well.
Brazil has some much confidence and with the experience of Emanuel and
the strength of Alison there isn’t much of a weakness to find in their
game at all. Brink and Reckermann have played a very short schedule
this year as Reckermann recovered from a shoulder injury and the
performance has been superb, especially in Europe.
These are the best two men’s teams of the London 2012 Olympic Games
and they deserve to be in the gold medal match. For me I have to go
with Emanuel with his great experience and Alison with his
unbelievable strength and rapidly developing skills.
The Germans might get a little tense with all the pressure and this
could be the difference in who wins the gold medal match. It will be
so close that it will be some little thing that happens that will
change the flow of the match.
I do think while Brazil’s Alison and Emanuel should win the gold, the
match should definitely be much closer and much better than the men’s
semifinal matches were on Monday.
Lastly, I am uncertain if I will head from here in London to Stare
Jablonki for next week’s season finally of the men’s 2012 FIVB SWATCH
Beach Volleyball World Tour in Poland at the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam.
This has been mentally and physically draining for me here in London
being in the broadcast booth and not on the practice field.
I will decide in the next couple days if I will go or not as my
training and workout schedule has obviously been disrupted here in
London. On one hand, I would trade this experience for anything, but
also I don’t like to go to a grand slam tournament of this stature if
I don’t feel that I am physically ready. We will see what happens.
From Switzerland, Martin is a three-time Olympic beach volleyball player (2000, 2004 and 2008) and still current player on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour with 203 events to date. He is in London as a commentator for Television Swiss Romande. His wife, Claudia Laciga, is a former FIVB international player and currently a junior beach volleyball national coach in Switzerland.
The men and women’s semifinals Tuesday night were remarkable, each in
their own way as the honored the hallowed ground upon which the court
of sand sits surrounded by the theatre of thousands of adoring
admirers.
Looking first women’s semifinal between Brazil’s Juliana Silva and
Larissa Franca and USA’s Jennifer Kessy and April Ross, the first
thing is the constant rain that poured down on the field of play
harder and lasting longer than any other match in the entire
tournament. Let’s just say, it all turned out to be showers of
blessings for USA’s Kessy/Ross.
After a one sided affair to Brazil in the first set, Kessy and Ross
found something – especially Jen Kessy who is not normally one of the
dominant blockers, but her two blocks in the second set put them right
back in the race and must have played on the mind of Larissa as she
then went on to make some uncharacteristic errors in attack.
Sensing that they were back in the game, Kessy/Ross put the pressure
on Larissa, who seemed quite negative and vocal towards her partner,
Juliana. This breakdown in communication gave the USA some confidence
and they finished the match playing some of the best beach volleyball
that they have, so far in this event and is reminiscent of their form
back in 2009, when they won the World Championships in a similar
fashion against the same Juliana and Larissa, but three years later.
In the first women’s semifinal, it turned out to be an all-time
classic whose script would keep the playwright employed in the Old
Globe for centuries. Well, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, what can
I say but “hail to you two amazing athletes and ladies.” Everything
they have been through over the past four years, two babies born to
Kerri and her husband Casey Jennings, Achilles tendon ruptures to
Misty, surgeries to both, more losses in the past 12 months than they
have ever endured in their careers – and now they are guaranteed
another Olympic medal and most probably, a Gold.
However, I am reluctant to try to predict any more results in this
event, because so far I am not doing too well in that area!
The juggle of motherhood for Kerri, her husband and two boys over
these past three years and the battle to keep her body in top physical
condition is a credit to the team she has around her along with the
passion, desire and competitiveness this gentle spirit carries within
her heart.
She has such a strong vision and is so dedicated to what she sets her
mind to, she and Misty will most certainly put up the fight of their
lives in the final.
Then there’s Misty May-Treanor, from Dancing with the Stars injuries
to mind blowing defense and attacking. Misty is playing like a 25 year
old (she turned 35 on July 30). She will retire after this event and
what a way to leave the sport, playing at the highest level for a
third Olympic Gold Medal
Men’s semi’s
The men’s semifinals weren’t near as dramatic as the women’s which
were filled with so many twists and turns in the plots of each.
Germany’s Julius Brink andJonas Reckermann were clean, crisp and
courageous in their dominant display over the Nederlands’. Reinder
Nummerdor and Richard Schuil were not let into the match at all.
Reckermann was way too stong on the block and Julius Brink
complimented that with some unbelievable one handed defense and smart,
consistent siding out.
If the Netherlands can regroup in time, they have a shot at winning
bronze over Latvia. They must use their disappointment in a positive
way as this will no doubt be Schuil’s last Olympic Games and he would
love to finish with a medal. This will also be a meeting featuring two
countries in Latvia and the Netherlands who have never had a men’s
team in the final four in the Olympic Games prior to the London 2012
Olympic Games.
Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Emmanuel Rego basically overpowered the
Latvians Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins who just looked overwhelmed
in their semifinal.
Their lack of experience and the fact they were playing two guys that
they have looked up to for so many years was just too much for them to
fire up on all cylinders, like they have been throughout this event.
Smedins was the target for the Brazilians, unlike past matches where
Plavins had to do most of the siding out.
Smedins could barely get a ball past Alison, who’s blocking technique
was text book style.
If he did get one past, Emanuel was there to gobble it up and finish
off the point with the grace and power he is renowned for.
Emmanuel’s side out was also a step up from his previous quarterfinal
match, which saw him give away many unforced errors.
Emanuel will have to be at the top of his game to get past Reckermann
at the net and the amazing acrobatic defense of Brink.
Here were are at the grand finale to some magnificent Olympic beach
volleyball at Horse Guards Parade. But before we bid adieu to such a
classic venue and such a remarkable competition, let’s stand up and
salute these great beach volleyball medal matches at the London 2012
Olympic Games.
Kerri Pottharst is a former Australian beach volleyball and
volleyball player and famously won gold along with Nathalie Cook at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games in front of her home fans. She also claimed
bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and competed at the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games. She last played on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World
Tour in 2004 but since then has married and had a 5 year old son called
Tyson. She is a highly sought after Motivational Speaker as well as
spending time on the sand coaching beach volleyball. Most recently, Kerri
has released a book titled “The Business of Being an Athlete” a
step-by-step guide on how the right attitude, the right tools, and the
right approach took her from being a part-time athlete to becoming a
multi-award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a
successful entrepreneur. www.kerripottharst.com
Although it’s very lovely to look at and take photos of, we don’t need
Big Ben to tell us that time flies and that the London 2012 Olympic
Games beach volleyball competition at Horse Guards Parade is rapidly
drawing to a close.
Although Sydney 2000 will always be my personal favorite for a lot of
reasons, these London 2012 Olympic Games may just go down in history
as the most competitive and memorable beach volleyball competition in
our relatively short history at the Olympic Games. From Atlanta 1996
to Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and now London 2012, our
sport has grown dramatically and there is no more spectator-friendly
event in all of the Olympics.
The stadium at the iconic Horse Guards Parade is a painting that will
forever live in the canvas of our minds and hearts for not only the
venue, but the spectators, officials, court personnel, media and most
of all the absolutely amazing athletes that have graced this
magnificent venue for their hour upon the stage.
Now, here we are at the semifinals for both men and women and while we
might have thought otherwise as pool play so spectacularly unfolded,
and the elimination rounds have been so artistically and aggressively
played, the lords and ladies of the sand have been royally received
and their competition has found us at this point with the top four
seeds in the women’s competition in the final four and for the men we
have the numbers one, three, five and 17 seeds as for the fifth
straight Olympics at least one major seed breakthrough has made its
way into the men’s final four.
And now we are awaiting their shining moments to blossom in full with
Tuesday night’s semifinals for both genders and the glorious medal
matches for women on Wednesday and men on Thursday.
I would never say that I had filled out my bracket for the elimination
phase 100 percent accurately, but then I would never say I didn’t
either. The point is in both genders we find this poetic drama has
developed with an incredible cast of spectacular athletes who have
paid the price, made the sacrifices and now found themselves in a
place of highest honor – the final four of the London 2012 Olympic
Games.
From my perspective and I have said this since the beginning of these
glorious Games, the cream always rises to the top and for these four
teams in each gender, they have proven to be the best our sport has to
offer in 2012.
All are to be congratulated, praised and esteemed for this great
accomplishment. But in all of this, the biggest prizes still await in
medals of gold, silver and bronze.
The women’s quarterfinals were like so many others in these Olympics,
very impressive.
I wasn’t surprised with who won each quarterfinal (Brazil’s
Juliana/Larissa, USA’s Kessy/Ross, USA’s May-Treanor/Walsh and China’s
Xue/Zhang) but the big surprise for me was that Italy’s
Cicolari/Menegatti did have a stronger performance against Misty and
Kerri.
I think the youth and inexperience of Marta Menegatti (she’s barely
21) really weighed on her team’s shoulders. The Italians have had good
matches with Misty and Kerri in the past and I think the enormity of
this event was just too much for her to handle and it showed in your
play, which was not what she has shown and is capable of and will have
in the future because she is a great young player.
It was really kind of sad because I thought the Italians might be a
team that could pull an upset. But of course, Misty and Kerri were
unbelievably crisp even though they had to change some things up they
were seriously focused and incredibly steady the entire match which
has been very characteristic of these great American champions,
especially in matches with this much significance.
China was fantastic against Austria’s Schwaiger sisters but Xue and
Zhang were just so aggressive and played so strong and with few if any
mistakes. You could see in their eyes that they were really focused
and they were really on the go. They knew that all of their unforced
errors were behind them and it’s all about sticking to the game plan.
The Chinese are doing an amazing job of playing in the moment and not
looking ahead. They are having fun and I think it will be an
incredible match against American’s May-Treanor and Walsh.
I think that Chinese just in their aggression and their precision will
have a small edge, but Misty and Kerri as they always do will put a
lot of pressure on the Chinese and will be in there like they always
are at the end and I think it will be a very, very good match. It’s
true that the Chinese have won the last three times that the two teams
have played, but they weren’t playing on this stage where Misty and
Kerri are 19-0 with a set record of 38-1. When these two teams met in
the semifinals of both the 2007 FIVB SWATCH World Championships and
the 2011 FIVB SWATCH World Championships, the American won both times.
I think USA’s Kessy/Ross in their quarterfinal win over Czech
Republic’s Kolocova/Slukova were very lucky at times and the Czech
women were in my mind the biggest surprise of these Olympic games
among the women and their fifth place finish is very remarkable.
The first set could have gone either way and it did go to overtime
before Kessy/Ross were able to squeeze by 25-23. In the second set,
Kessy/Ross were more focused and the young Czech team made more errors
that Kessy/Ross took advantage of and held them off to advance to meet
Brazil’s Juliana/Larissa tonight.
Juliana/Larissa were absolutely dominating against Germans
Goller/Ludwig. I really don’t think the Germans, who had a very good
tournament to make the quarterfinals and won their all-German round of
16 match over Holtwick/Semmler, brought their A game against Brazil,
but Juliana and Larissa are so great they can make very good teams
look bad.
Brazilians versus Kessy/Ross I think in my mind Juliana and Larissa
are on fire and Kessy/Ross could very well be the next good team to
get burnt.
I think it will be a Brazil-China gold medal match with Misty and
Kerri winning the bronze, but as we have seen anything can happen like
it has with the men and women’s competition.
You know it’s all about their emotional state and how they react to a
bad play. If they make a mistake and react positively they’re okay.
The problem is if you make one mistake and you aren’t positive, it
quickly distracts you and you’ve made two or three mistakes and dug a
deep hole.
That’s why I still think experience is the key.
Among the men’s competition so far, I think Brazil’s Alison/Emanuel
are dominating and they only sure pick for a spot in the gold medal
match.
Check back Wednesday and we’ll have our picks for the medals for both
genders after Tuesday’s semifinals.
As over 400,000 embracing fans have done for these past 10 days of
pilgrimage, we stand and salute these mighty warriors of Horse Guards
Parade and praise….three cheers for these gallant princes and
princesses of the royal court of sand.
Kerri Pottharst is a former Australian beach volleyball and volleyball player and famously won gold along with Nathalie Cook at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in front of her home fans. She also claimed bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and competed at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She last played on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour in 2004 but since then has married and had a 5 year old son called Tyson. She is a highly sought after Motivational Speaker as well as spending time on the sand coaching beach volleyball. Most recently, Kerri has released a book titled “The Business of Being an Athlete” a step-by-step guide on how the right attitude, the right tools, and the right approach took her from being a part-time athlete to becoming a multi-award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a successful entrepreneur. www.kerripottharst.com
August 4, 2012 - I just broadcasted the match of the last of three
Swiss teams in these Olympic Games so I am kind of bummed. I always
wish Swiss teams the best and that they could have gone further in
this year’s competition, but it wasn’t meant to be I guess. Both men’s
teams and the one women’s team certainly had their moments and they
all won some matches and some sets but none have gone past the round
of 16 so I am sure they will learn from this experience, but better
for it and for beach volleyball in Switzerland in general, this was a
significant step forward having three teams qualify for the Olympics.
The players and coaches learned a lot and for those players who will
keep their dreams alive, they hopefully will be able to use the
valuable lesions that they experienced here in London. For the coaches
and the national federation I am confident that they leave these games
with a great understanding of the significance of our sport in the
Olympic movement and that we have work to do to achieve the elite
status in the future.
In looking at the men’s final four now, everything is all shook up
because of the unbelievable upset that USA’s Dalhausser/Rogers endured
Friday night. Those close to the sport are in shock, but we all know
we play the games because at any time, anyone can win, no matter how
big of an underdog you might be. I feel bad for Phil and Todd because
they are a great team and while they might have lost here in London, I
nor anyone else but Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai, thought it would
happen in the round of 16 to a young-but-talented Italian team.
There have been some nice wins in the round of 16 including Latvia’s
Plavins/Smedins beating the Norwegians and even the Netherlands
defeating Switzerland on Saturday. These are all good wins as is
Germany’s Brink/Reckermann’s win Saturday night over Latvia’s
Samoilovs/Sorokins. Not that I didn’t think Germany could win, but
they did it in very convincing style as both Latvian teams have played
well here in London.
The big games help teams bring out their best, especially if they
don’t let their nerves get the best of them. It is intimidating enough
to be playing in the Olympic Games but then to have made it to an
elimination round and to come out of the tunnel onto the sand with
15,000 strangers on their feet cheering for you just because you’re an
Olympian is pretty amazing.
All the teams in the bracket have the ability to go all the way at
this point but for me, for sure Alison and Emanuel are playing at a
level that would seem out of this planet, but there are no undefeated
teams in beach volleyball. We all take our lumps. It’s what we do when
that happens that matters.
Combination of power, confidence and experience are the key
ingredients to carry a team into the gold medal match and beyond.
The Polish team played very calmly and with much confidence and they
won their round of 16 match. It’s also amazing what Cunha and Ricardo
are doing. Ricardo is a four-time Olympian and he is playing with that
kind of power, confidence and experience, and also with the enthusiasm
of it being his first time in the Olympics.
I expect Alison/Emanuel in the final four while Gibb/Rosenthal and
Cunha/Ricardo get their best game together when it is this time of the
tournament. The Netherlands’ Nummerdor/Schuil are also a very talented
and experienced team who don’t make many mistakes and they could be a
factor.
When it’s down to the final two, I expect Brazil’s Alison/Emanuel to
be one of them.
The fans are accepting this sport so eagerly it’s inspiring. The
crowds are so large for every match, for every session and for every
day it makes you wish we could keep doing this for another two weeks.
I salute the British fans for taking a sport like this that they know
nothing about and making it their own.
People are getting more and more excited which in turn is giving even
more enthusiasm to the players and helps motivate them to play to an
even higher level. We will be seeing more big games, more big emotions
and more big victories.
I believe because of the venue, the spectators and the competition,
this will go down in history as the most memorable Olympic Games beach
volleyball competition of the five that have been held over the last
16 years.
From Switzerland, Martin is a three-time Olympic beach
volleyball player (2000, 2004 and 2008) and still current player on
the FIVB SWATCH World Tour with 203 events to date. He is in London as
a commentator for Television Swiss Romande. His wife, Claudia Laciga,
is a former FIVB international player and currently a junior beach
volleyball national coach in Switzerland.
August 3, 2012 - As we continue this amazing London journey of the
Olympic Games, I think women’s pool play was phenomenal with very, very
few surprises, except of course, the very first match when Russia’s
Anastasia Vasina and Anna Vozakova stunned the beach volleyball word
with their win over China’s Chen Xue/Xi Zhang in that three-set thriller
that seems so long ago.
When you look at the bracket, you see that the top four teams are spread
out well with Brazil’s Juliana/Larissa at the top and spread pretty
evenly down the ladder are USA’s Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh, China’s
Xue/Zhang and Brazil’s Antonelli/Antunes.
USA’s Jennifer Kessy/April Ross won their pool and got a reasonable
bracket placement.
Even in losing their pool I think that China got a good spot in the
bracket, but at this stage of the competition every match is a huge
challenge and as the bracket shrinks and the final days draw closer I
still think the cream rises to the top and at least in the women’s
competition we should see the teams we expect to be there in the final
four next week.
I think Brazil’s Juliana and Larissa played up to their standards in
pool play and are at a level that will make them extremely hard, but not
impossible - as nothing is in sport, to beat.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh had a tough match against the
Schwiager sisters but in the end they prevailed and that’s what
champions do when adversity comes. I think having such late and chilly
matches affected them some but I think they are improving which is what
you want to do as you come out of pool play and head to single
elimination.
I think the Chinese are getting better and better after faltering in
their first match and I think they are poised to play their best matches
of the year.
And remember, they are leading the points on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour
and they have won three gold medals this year on the world tour.
I think all the players are starting to get used to the environment and
it will especially those who prepared properly and came here ready to
play at the highest level possible. Now that pool play is over, the
pressure is really on the remaining teams and you could really see it in
the first match this morning between the two German teams, Goller/Ludwig
and Holtwick/Semmler.
These matches against your compatriots are really tough and
Goller/Ludwig won for the 10th consecutive time against their friends
whom the practice with and play so often on the world tour.
Goller/Ludwig are one of the teams who have raised their game at the
right time, but they obviously have a tough spot on the ladder as their
next opponent is the top-seeded Juliana and Larissa which will be a huge
challenge for them and for anyone in this tournament.
Sometimes when you push so hard and little things cause stress and when
everything seems to be against you, you find another level to play. I
don’t think Juliana and Larissa have really been pushed yet, but I am
sure they will be in their next match with Goller/Ludwig. They are in
good form.
My biggest surprise team from pool play is easy to say Spain’s Elsa
Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez. I haven’t been around the World Tour
too much the past two years so I haven’t seen much of them before this
week and what I have seen has really, really impressed me.
They are very emotional, they are very strong, Liliana has one of the
hardest blocks on the world tour and Else can get to a lot of balls
heading to the sand. They are fierce and passionate. They play Italy
next and it will be a fiery one with the enthusiasm both teams play with
every time they go onto the court.They are a very aggressive team and at
this level it has to be a controlled aggression and I think they are
definitely heading in the right direction. I think the Italians
(Cicolari and Menegatti) have been up and down and teams are starting to
figure them out some but they are still a very solid team.
My women’s final four Juliana and Larissa for sure, Misty and Kerri,
China’s Xue/Zhang and I’m going to say the other Brazilian team Maria
Antonelli and Talita. That will do it. Again, I believe in experience
still will rule. Aggressive controlled with no fear is what will win the
gold. It will keep you in the game and four of these teams will do it
this week and three of them will stand on the podium in the shadow of
Big Ben next week. I can’t wait to celebrate with them.
Before I close this blog, I must bid my personal farewell as well to my
friend and former teammate Natalie Cook, a five-time Olympian with whom
I won a gold medal with and who has now officially retired after not
making it out of pool play.
What can I say. Nat is like a sister to me. We experienced so much
playing in the Olympic Games. She has so much resilience, and commitment
to the sport. She is an Aussie battler and I would expect to see her
involved with the Australian Olympic movement forever. She is extreme
passion for the sport and she is a great world ambassador for our sport.
And, she wouldn’t admit it, but I taught her everything she knows - I
say this tongue-in-check, of course-
A toast to you Nat and to all of these amazing athletes here at Horse
Guards Parade.
August 1, 2012 - I was very impressed with how Juliana and Larissa took
care of Klapalova and Hajeckova. In the first set they played perfectly.
After winning the first set so easily, the second set is always
difficult because you have to keep your concentration. Against stronger
teams you can’t relax but it is normal when you have won the first set.
Right now for me, they are looking very good for the gold medal. They
have the most important thing which is attitude. I talked with Juliana
and she said that each game is like a final for them, no matter who the
players or the country are.
In terms of teams who would be the biggest threat I was thinking of
China but they lost the first match, it was surprise but I still believe
in China. Of course Misty and Kerri aren’t in the best shape but they
know their way. They have two gold medals and they know how to win. They
have the psychology. They are different to Brazilians. Their personality
is strong during the game and we have to learn from the Americans. They
are cold on the court. Independent of the score they keep the same focus
and concentration. I have never seen an American player fight amongst
themselves, they are always focused but the Brazilians are getting
better.
Right now for Juliana and Larissa, focus is the most important. They
have to keep their same routine. I remember what Jackie and I did in
Atlanta. Our routine was the same, practice and play and stay out of the
athletes’ village. I think Juliana and Larissa are going to do the same
and change their accommodation. That way they can stay more concentrated
and focused as the Olympic village is big and there are a lot of
distractions.
They have to keep strong mentally, think only of the next game and stay
happy. It is so good to be at an Olympics but sometimes they forget,
they put a lot of pressure on themselves because they know they can win.
If you look back at recent results, they are ready to win gold.
I believe in all four teams actually. Talita and Antonelli, I believe in
them and Ricardo. He has three medals and this is his fourth Olympics.
He has great experience. I think Brazil can win four medals. I don’t say
favourite because a favourite has to be winning everything leading up to
the tournament. The year 2011 was a good year for Brazil but 2012 is not
the same.
When we won gold we won everything before and when we went to Atlanta we
were favourites because we won everything. This time in 2012 they
haven’t kept the same form from 2011.
For the athletes who are at an Olympics for the first time it is most
important because it is a huge event, for most of the players it is a
dream, everything is beautiful. You can see other athletes from other
sports.
In Atlanta, Jackie and I and the coach we stayed on a farm. It was
Jackie’s decision. She had played in LA and Moscow and she knew the way
and knew everything. I wanted to go to the opening ceremony but she
convinced me not to go since we had a match the following day. I was so
sad and angry, I didn’t speak to her for three days. We watched it on
the TV at the end but once the competition was over I thanked her
because in the end she was right.
In Sydney I carried the flag. It was a great present. I am the first and
only Brazilian woman to do so.
From Brazil, Sandra is a three-time Olympian, wining gold in
the first year for beach volleyball as a medal sport in 1996 in Atlanta
with Jackie Silva, bronze with Adriana Samuel in 2000 in Sydney and
fifth in Athens with Ana Paula Connelly. She is in London as one of the
announcers for the Brazil telecasts of the beach volleyball competition
for Globo SportTV.
August 1, 2012 - I wanted to qualify for the Olympics
(with Jonas Weingart), but this is a great alternative to being on the
sand. We were very close and it went down to the last event in Rome.
Working with this professional group on television is a new experience
for me but very well worth it to see the game from a totally different
perspective, very interesting.
I have been able to provide some very good insight so far about the
different things that go on during the match and what the sport is all
about. I’ve tried to be a teacher to help the other announcer learn more
about the sport and they are learning very quickly.
The open stadium with these huge, friendly crowds, the view, the overall
ambience is amazing. I went to three Olympics as a player and the venues
are all different. Here in London, it may be missing a beachfront but
the beautiful historical environment where the venue is obviously is
like no other in the five Olympic Games where beach volleyball has been
a medal sport. Each one is very special to me for obvious reasons, but
for being in a beach environment, Bondi Beach in Australia in 2000 was
my personal favorite, but a major reason is that it was my first Olympic
Games as a player.
The London Eye is staring and Big Ben is watching which almost gives you
a feeling like you’re with Peter Pan, the lost boys on a magical
adventure in Never Never Land.
Horse Guards Parade will go down in history, I think, for sheer beauty
with Horse Guards headquarters, St. James’ Park, the London Eye, Big
Ben, No. 10 Downing Street, Churchill’s War Rooms, you can just go on
and on. It’s also remarkable how enthusiastically the spectators have
become fans and embraced the event, the sport and these amazing
athletes.
The stadium is always full for three different sessions. The stadium and
the area it is located in is inspiring and will be the main venue from
these Olympic Games most remembered in the future, especially because it
is all temporary and in a few weeks it will only be a wonderful memory.
Here in London this venue and this stadium is a perfect combination
between the city and all the visitors from around the world.
Working as a TV commentator is a lot of work and gives me greater
appreciation for everything that is involved in producing a telecast.
Even though I know the players, for TV you have to know much more about
the personal lives and their statistical history which is causing me to
do more research than I thought would be necessary but it is a memorable
experience. I am actually at the venue more hours than I am at a regular
FIVB SWATCH World Tour event. We’re here at 7am and we don’t finish
until around midnight so it makes for very long days and short nights
but it is a truly a great experience for me.
The TV group has a big, talented staff and it’s very interesting to see
how they put it all together to make a show. As you know, the rights
holder has been providing all of the international broadcasters with
great live action, replays and special packages so it is definitely a
good thing for me to be involved. Again, I would rather be on the sand,
but to be overlooking centre court in a packed stadium with 15,000
enthusiastic people who just want to enjoy great athletes competing even
if the majority know little about the sport.
What’s fun about the audience is that they participate and encourage
both teams and when a team from Great Britain is playing its louder than
any stop we have on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour. The support both teams
(unless a host-country team is playing) receive from the fans has to
thrill the players tremendously and help them to play at an even higher
level with so many eyes watching closely.
I haven’t really been too surprised with the results so far and even
though there have been several upsets, we have to remember it is pool
play and things will sort themselves out by the end of pool play
tomorrow night.
When it comes time for the medal matches in both genders, I think most
of the favorites will be there, from Brazil, USA, China, but like every
Olympic Games there will be a team that will surprise some teams during
the elimination rounds and make it to the final four.
The important thing about pool play is for the top-seeded teams to win
their pools because if they don’t, it changes the bracket placement
tremendously and means that sometimes the top two teams will end up
meeting in the quarterfinals or semifinals and not the gold medal match.
The Swiss men’s teams have had some ups and downs but especially Seba
(Sebastian Chevallier) Sasha (Heyer) have played very, very well and
have a great chance to win their pool and get a good placement in the
Round of 16.
On paper, Heuscher and Bellaguarda are the strongest team for the men on
paper, but they have struggled here in London so far but they are in the
strongest men’s pool with Brazil’s Alison/Emanuel, Italy’s Lupo/Nicolai
and Austria’s Doppler/Horst. If they can make it out of pool play I
still think they have a shot to beat some people in single-elimination.
It’s really hard to make predictions on the final four right now because
the top teams have struggled, even I wonder if they are having nerves or
just pacing themselves for the single-elimination rounds. USA’s
Dalhausser/Rogers haven’t had a great season but they know how to win
and they know what the Olympics are all about so you can’t count them
out. They stay calm always and that’s very important.
Brazil’s Alison and Emanuel have played great for two years and Alison
is young but nobody has a better on-the-sand coach than he does in
Emanuel. Brazil’s Cunha/Ricardo are playing very confidently and I also
like the Latvian team of Samoilovs/Sorokins. Samoilovs loves the crowd
and plays to please them.
USA’s Gibb/Rosenthal haven’t played very well, they have played a lot
lately and maybe they are just waiting for the bigger games to begin
although they dominated the other good Latvian team today so maybe they
are back.
It is a tough competition. I can’t point to one team right now, it’s
more like five, six, or seven teams that have a great opportunity to
bring home some London gold.
From Switzerland, Martin is a three-time Olympic beach
volleyball player (2000, 2004 and 2008) and still current player on the
FIVB SWATCH World Tour with 203 events to date. He is in London as a
commentator for Television Swiss Romande. His wife, Claudia Laciga, is a
former FIVB international player and currently a junior beach volleyball
national coach in Switzerland.
July 31, 2012 - In a word…inspirational. That’s how I would
describe the first few days of my personal Olympic experience at the
London 2012 Olympic Games beach volleyball competition being held at
an unparalleled venue at Horse Guards Parade.
Teams are playing like their athletic lives depend on it and tens of
thousands of fans cheering like they have magically embraced a sport
they know little about except to enthusiastically cheer at the
multitude of spectacular plays that have permeated the sensational
sand on the palatial court.
Like always, there are teams who have raised the level of the game,
even it is for just one match to the point that we have seen an
abundance of three-set matches which is certainly good for television
and superb for the throngs of fans who continue to fill the
magnificent stadium three times daily.
As we reflect on some key women’s matches, I can’t help but first
consider the woman I won my gold medal with in Sydney in 2000 and my
bronze in Atlanta in 1996 - Australia’s five-time Olympian and double
medalist Natalie Cook.
On day one I was particularly impressed with the play of Cook and her
teammate Tamsin Hinchley in their opening match against the great
American team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. I thought they
really pushed Misty and Kerri and I know Natalie is going to give
every last ounce to help her team go as far as they can go here in
London.
Nat thrives on pressure and I thought Tam did a great job blocking and
Nat pursued every ball with a passion that is unequalled. However, in
their second match last night they seemed like it was a different team
all together. The Schwaiger sisters had a great strategy and it worked
for them. They caught the Aussies off guard and they weren’t able to
adjust much and even though their effort level stayed high, they
weren’t able to make any significant adjustments to counter what the
Austrian’s were doing and even though it took them three sets to
finish it, the Schwaigers were relentless and Nat and Tam weren’t
playing like they did against the Americans.
They fought and fought and fought but sometimes when you get behind
things get worse because you’re trying so hard and then mistakes can
start being made when you pick up the pace and almost get into a
desperation mode.
A very important thing when it comes to pool play is that you need to
win the matches you are supposed to and play as hard as you can in the
others and just keep hoping for the best and you never know what could
happen.
Now, we all just hope than can salvage a win against the Czech team
and be able to advance out of pool to the single elimination part of
this year’s Olympics.
Kerri and Misty had another hard match on Monday night against the
Czech team Kolocova/Slukova but the Czech women probably played the
best game of their life.
Kerri and Misty can get down sometimes in a match, but much, much more
often than not, they find a way to pull it out like they did in the
second set on Monday night against the Czech team.
Another of the tough matches was Australia’s Louise Bawden and
Becchara Palmer’s loss to Germany’s Sara Goller/Laura Ludwig. The
Aussies looked anxious in the match and had way too many unforced
errors.
Then there was that unbelievable match between Great Britain’s Zara
Dampney/Shauna Mullin and Canada’s Marie-Andree Lessard/Annie Martin.
The match raised the level of understanding and acceptance to the
thousands of fans that filled the stadium with British flags and
rousing cheers to the uniqueness and the greatness of our sport. The
Britons were well prepared for the huge crowd so that they would feed
off the energy. The pro-Great Britain crowd was helping to lift their
game up a notch and help the people identify with the competition and
really gave them something to cheer about in their home-country team.
China’s Chen Xue/Xi Zhang is still rebounding from its opening match
upset loss to Russia and although they did win their second match,
they will need to get it in gear to defeat the Greek team on Wednesday
in order to be in a position to win their pool which will help them
greatly in their placement in the single-elimination bracket.
China has been the most consistent team on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour
this year but they still haven’t found their groove here in London.
They were the bronze medallists in Beijing in 2008 and now they have
even higher expectations they and others have put on them. They don’t
look right now like a team that will medal, they certainly haven’t
played their best yet.
One final thought is how wonderful the FIVB heroes lounge is here in
St. James Park by the practice courts and the daily heroes luncheons
they have been having for the media to relax with players like China’s
Xue/Zhang, USA’s May-Treanor/Walsh, Germany’s Julius Brink/Jonas
Reckermann and Germany’s Sara Goller/Laura Ludwig.
Nothing like this has ever been a part of the Olympic Games before and
it has been a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the heroes
of beach volleyball in a relaxed, low-key atmosphere and have the
opportunity to ask them more in-depth questions outside of how the
last match went for them.
There have been some upsets so far and there could end up to be
several ties in pool play that will have to be decided by sets won and
lost so everybody on Wednesday will be trying to win their matches and
win them in two sets.
Kerri Pottharst is a former Australian beach volleyball and
volleyball player and famously won gold along with Nathalie Cook at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games in front of her home fans. She also claimed
bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and competed at the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games. She last played on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World
Tour in 2004 but since then has married and had a 5 year old son called
Tyson. She is a highly sought after Motivational Speaker as well as
spending time on the sand coaching beach volleyball. Most recently, Kerri
has released a book titled “The Business of Being an Athlete” a
step-by-step guide on how the right attitude, the right tools, and the
right approach took her from being a part-time athlete to becoming a
multi-award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a
successful entrepreneur. www.kerripottharst.com