Rio Olympics 2016: Brazil’s hopes of beach volleyball gold dashed as Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst claim victory
Local favourites and world champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas were comfortably beaten on the Copacabana beach
BRAZIL'S samba beauties lost the final of the beach volleyball - beaten by the frauleins from Germany.
Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst crushed Brazil's gold-medal hopes with an emphatic victory in the Olympic women's beach volleyball final on Wednesday, silencing a raucous crowd at Rio's famed Copacabana beach.
World champions Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas had sent home hopes rocketing when they ousted American legend Kerri Walsh Jennings in the semis, but they couldn't cope with the Germans who won 21-18, 21-14.
The result torpedoed Brazilian hopes of a fourth gold medal at their home Olympics, and ended a tough night for the hosts after they also lost the bronze-medal play-off to Walsh Jennings and April Ross.
At a packed temporary stadium, complete with dancers, samba band and swirling wind, German destroyer Walkenhorst was devastating with the spike as the visitors took control of the first set.
Walkenhorst smashed yet another into the sand to set up four set points, with Ludwig deftly converting on the first attempt as the Germans took it 21-18 for a one-set lead.
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It only got worse for Brazil in the second set as Germany raced to an 11-5 lead and then set up match points when the imposing Walkenhorst successfully jousted at the net.
And their challenge was quickly over when Seixa, under severe pressure, put her serve straight out, prompting a scream of delight from the celebrating German pair.
Earlier, America's Walsh Jennings added Rio Olympics bronze to her collection of gold medals after a stirring third-place play-off win against Brazil's Talita Rocha and Larissa Franca.
The three-time defending Olympic champion and her new partner, Ross, came off the ropes to win 17-21, 21-17, 15-9 in front of the partisan crowd.