Beach Volleyball at the Olympics

A Brief History

Beach volleyball made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos won the men's tournament, while Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno won the women's tournament. Beach volleyball became a full medal sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The United States has been the most successful nation in beach volleyball, winning a total of 17 medals, including eight gold medals.

Gold Medal Match

In the gold medal match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Australia defeated Brazil in two sets (21-15, 21-16) to win the gold medal. This was Australia's first gold medal in beach volleyball. Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy won the silver medal for Australia, while Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Lisboa won the bronze medal for Brazil.

Women's Dominance

Kerri Walsh Jennings is the most successful beach volleyball player in Olympic history, having won three consecutive gold medals from 2004 to 2012. She is also the first woman to win three consecutive gold medals in any team sport at the Olympics. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are widely considered to be the greatest beach volleyball team of all time.