Beijing, China, August 19, 2008 - It will be a rematch of the 2007 SWATCH FIVB World Championships when Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China challenge Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States for the women’s gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games after both teams won semi-final matches here Tuesday. Played before a sell-out crowd at the 12,200-seat Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground, the second-seeded May-Treanor and Walsh scored a 21-12 and 21-14 win in 39 minutes over sixth-seeded Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro of Brazil while Tian and Wang out-lasted compatriots and fourth-seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang 22-24, 29-27 and 15-8 in 74 minutes. The Americans, who were winning their 68th-straight international Beach Volleyball match with 13 consecutive Olympic victories, are now 5-0 in meetings with Talita and Renata. Tian and Wang defeated their Chinese rival for the 16th time in 22 FIVB meetings since the two teams started playing together in 2006. Since winning a bronze medal at the 2006 season finale in Thailand after being defeated by Xue and Zhang in the semi-finals, the Americans have posted an 81-1 match mark on the international tour with 10 gold medals in 11 events. Overall, May-Treanor and Walsh have won a team record 34 FIVB gold medals in 59 events with 43 appearances in finals. Tian and Wang will be competing in their 16th FIVB finale in 39 international starts together. The Chinese pair has won four gold medals, including three in “open” events and one FIVB Challenger title last November in Hong Kong where they defeated Xue and Zhang in the finals.  For China vs. USA women’s gold-medal matches, the Americans lead 6-1. May-Treanor and Walsh are 6-0 against the Chinese in FIVB finales, including three title wins over Tian and Wang. The lone Chinese win over the United States was Xue and Zhang’s victory over Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs at last month’s Moscow Grand Slam. Thursday's gold-medal meeting will be the seventh between the two teams with May-Treanor and Walsh holding a 5-2 edge, including two-straight wins over Tian and Wang in gold-medal matches at the 2007 World Championships in Switzerland (21-16, 21-10) and the 2008 Berlin Grand Slam (21-18, 22-20). Both of Tian and Wang’s wins over May-Treanor and Walsh have been in Grand Slam events as the Chinese pair was the last team to defeat the Americans internationally with a 21-19 and 21-19 semi-final victory June 30, 2007 at the Norwegian stop in Stavanger. Both teams finished 1-2 on the qualifying list for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with May-Treanor and Walsh topping the rankings with 6,440 points for their best eight finishes during the process from May 2007 through July 20, 2008. Tian and Wang, who prevented May-Treanor and Walsh from having a “perfect” qualifying mark for Beijing due to the Norwegian win, had 5,500 points to be awarded the top seed for the Summer Games due to China hosting the event along with finishing among the top six teams on the Olympic list. |
