Lausanne, Switzerland, June 13, 2016 – Kerri Walsh has been given the green light to chase her fourth consecutive Olympic gold at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games after she was officially named as one of eight USA beach volleyball players who will be heading to Copacabana Beach.
Walsh will play alongside April Ross, who will be out to improve on the silver medal she won alongside Jennifer Kessy at the London 2012 Olympic Games, when Walsh was on the other side of the net with long-time partner Misty May-Treanor.
Walsh and Jennings will be joined in the women’s tournament by Brooke Sweat and Lauren Fendrick, while Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, and Jacob Gibb and Casey Patterson will line up in the men’s competition.
Walsh and Ross paired up for the first time at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 2014 Gstaad Grand Slam and in the Olympic qualifying period that ran from the start of 2015 to June 12, they have won four gold medals, two silver and two bronze and to finish third in the 2016 Olympic rankings.
“Each Olympic cycle has been so unique and so full of the best things in life: love, personal growth, teamwork, friendship, dedication, acceptance, dream chasing,” Walsh said. “This journey has been no exception and yet it's been full of its own magic. I am proud, I am grateful and we are very happily in it to win.”
Dalhausser and Lucena had a race of time to qualify for Rio 2016 as they only paired up in August 2015. They didn’t hang around and won silver in their first tournament together and added a further six golds, two silvers and a bronze, including gold at the Hamburg Major, the final tournament in the qualifying cycle.
“It is a huge honour to be playing in the Olympics and representing the U.S.,” Lucena said. “Playing with Phil has been a lot of fun. He's been, in my opinion, the best player in the world for a long time. Having the opportunity to play with Phil has been special.”
Patterson and Gibb have been together since 2013. Gibb played alongside Sean Rosenthal at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, but for Patterson it is his first Olympics. Their most recent World Tour medal came at the 2015 Olsztyn Grand Slam, where they finished with the silver.
Fendrick and Sweat will both make their Olympic debuts at Rio 2016 after they finished 15th in the Olympic Rankings. They booked their place on Copacabana by reaching the first round of the Hamburg Major and their best result as a duo came at the Netherlands 2015, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, where they reached the quarterfinals.
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