PARIS (AP) — Monica De Gennaro of Italy made three earlier journeys to the Olympics solely to go away empty-handed every time.
Lastly, at age 37, she’s going residence with the gold.
Italy beat the defending champion U.S. staff Sunday to win gold in ladies’s volleyball on the Paris Olympics.
“It feels particular,” she mentioned. “It’s the dream of each participant to play within the remaining of the Olympics and win it. It’s one thing distinctive. We labored so arduous for thus a few years to have the ability to attain this remaining.”
When Italy scored the match level to finish it, lots of the gamers collapsed to the court docket, then started hugging in an enormous scrum. Collectively they tossed De Gennaro into the air.
The victory got here in straight units, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant match having misplaced only one set.
It’s the primary medal within the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the People residence in disappointment after they received their first Olympic title in Tokyo. It’s an enormous win for the Italians, whose earlier greatest Olympic end was fifth.
“It means the whole lot,” Alessia Orro mentioned. “There’s plenty of arduous work, plenty of sweat, many sacrifices and lots of disappointments which have introduced us this far. They made us take this path, they made us win the gold.”
The victory got here in entrance of a boisterous crowd at South Paris Area, the place many followers waved Italian and U.S. flags. Folks danced and cheered because the Italians romped to the win.
The U.S. was up 6-5 within the third set earlier than Italy scored the following seven factors to take a 12-6 lead. The People fought again, scoring three of the following 4 factors.
The U.S. obtained inside 19-16 earlier than Italy closed it out with a 6-1 run capped by the match level by Paola Egonu, who had a dominant efficiency, scoring 22 factors.
“It’s magnificent,” Italy’s Caterina Bosetti mentioned. “It’s the match that I’ve been ready for all my life.”
Myriam Sylla beamed whereas sporting her gold medal as she spoke to reporters after the win. The 29-year-old, who was a first-time Olympian, was requested the way it felt round her neck.
“It’s heavy like … the journey that we did to realize it,” she mentioned.
The silver end by the People provides them a seventh Olympic medal to make them the winningest nation within the volleyball.
“I’ll stroll away being very proud that we had been in a position to play on the final day of competitors,” American Jordyn Poulter mentioned. “And I believe it feels much more candy to us due to simply all that we’ve gone via as a staff.”
Italy swept Turkey in straight units to succeed in the ultimate whereas the U.S. beat Brazil in a five-set thriller for its spot within the sport.
U.S. coach Karch Kiraly modified the lineup after a five-set loss to China on July 29 to begin group-stage play. He moved veterans Jordan Larson and Kelsey Robinson Prepare dinner to the bench in favor of Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer.
The transfer labored, and the staff defeated Serbia the following outing to get again on observe. However on Sunday, it wasn’t sufficient to get previous the mighty Italian staff and repeat as champions.
Kiraly was impressed with the way in which his staff fought via adversity to succeed in the ultimate.
“It was completely superior to see that after we obtained pushed to the restrict … how succesful this group was, how a lot resolve it had, how a lot grit it had,” he mentioned. “That was most likely the most effective factor to study in these Olympics.”
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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