CUBA STORM BACK TO WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE GOLD
Winning Cuban captain Regla Bell spikes the ball against Russia's Lioubov Chachkova during the women's final. Picture: Andrew Wong/Reuters
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The Cuban women maintained their
volleyball dominance with their greatest Olympic triumph.
Rallying from a two-set deficit to Russia, the Cubans
stormed back to win a record third consecutive gold medal
with a thrilling 25-27 32-34 25-19 25-18 15-7 victory.
Cuba have now won every major international competition
since the 1992 Barcelona Games, building an amazing 35-3
record in World Championships and Olympics over that time.
The difference in ability and execution between the two
teams was minuscule, and they battled back and forth in a
match befitting the sport’s two superpowers.
Cuba had a 24-21 lead in the opener before letting it slip
away. In the second set, Cuba led 24-23 but again failed to
close the deal. Both teams fought for and lost four more
set points until Russia pulled ahead 33-32 on a kill by
Elena Godina. Godina closed it out by stifling Marlenis
Costa at the net.
Regla Torres, Cuba’s greatest player, brought her team
back by getting her 6ft 3in frame up into the
path of the Russian players as often as possible.
Torres, who became the youngest volleyball gold medalist
when she played on the 1992 team at age 17, was fearless in
the middle, attacking Godina and Russia’s
other main scoring threat, Liobov Chachkova.
Cuba jumped to a 20-9 lead in the fourth set and withstood
a late rally. In the deciding game, the Cubans took an 8-4
lead and kept hitting, as the young Russian team folded.
It was fitting that Torres got the golden kill, a shot
from the right side.
Brazil defeated the United States 3-0 (25-18 25-22 25-21) to clinch the bronze medal.
Brazil repeated their bronze medal success of the 1996 Atlanta Games by overpowering the US team, led by the superior outside hitting of Virna Dias, Leila Barros and 20-year-old Erika Coimbra.
Brazil ended the second set by winning the last three points and used a four-point run to build up an 8-4 lead in the third set and were never seriously threatened thereafter.
The Americans, with Danielle Scott, Logan Tom and Sarah Noriega stepping up, fought off three match points before Dias’s spike was blocked out of bounds by Noriega for the clinching point.
PETER WATTS
Sunday Times
