Carol Solberg & Barbara Seixas lost their first two matches at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Rio de Janeiro, but then they got on the winning track producing five wins in a row all the way to the gold medal. After a week’s absence from the top of the FIVB World Ranking, Carol & Barbara are set to return as the world’s number one team with Monday’s update. It was the sixth gold and the 12^th medal altogether on the Beach Pro Tour for the experienced Brazilian pair.

• Watch Rio de Janeiro Elite16 replays on VBTV.

USA’s Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft settled for silver, their third consecutive Elite16 medal, after the Gstaad silver and the Vienna bronze earned at their previous two Beach Pro Tour appearances back in July.

Top-seeded Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes of Brazil took the bronze, also their third consecutive Elite16 medal in a total of four Beach Pro Tour participations as a team. They claimed bronze in Hamburg in August and gold in Joao Pessoa just three weeks ago.

In Sunday’s gold medal match at the iconic Copacabana, 11th-seeded Carol & Barbara did not allow any doubt over their supremacy and cruised to a 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) sweep of their second encounter with third-seeded Cannon & Kraft at the tournament, thus getting back at the Americans for the straight-set loss in their Pool C meeting early into the main draw competition. Barbara was on fire and led her team in the final with 23 points, including the match winner. She fired two aces towards her match-high tally. Carol added another 12 points, including two kill blocks. On the other side of the net, Kraft produced 14 points (two blocks, one ace) and Cannon added 13 (1 block, one ace). The Americans arrived at the final undefeated in the previous five matches played in Rio, but their winning run was stopped by the home favourites.

In the bronze medal match, Thamela & Victoria mastered a straight-set victory over German qualifiers Sandra Ittlinger & Kim Van de Velde. The Brazilians made the podium after a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) shutout of the 13^th-seeded opponents. Victoria fired two aces towards the victory and was the best scorer of the match with a total of 17 points. With two kill blocks to her name, Thamela finished with 15 points, while Ittlinger and Van de Velde scored 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Sunday’s programme in the women’s competition started with Cannon & Kraft’s 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) sweep of their semifinal match with Ittlinger & Van de Velde. Cannon led the way with 20 points, including two aces and two blocks. Kraft aced three times to finish with 16 points.

The all-Brazilian semifinal the followed was also resolved in straight sets. Carol & Barbara stopped Thamela & Victoria on the way to another final with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-19) shutout. Carol raised seven kill blocks and fired one ace towards a match-high 24 points.

VW Beach Pro Tour Rio de Janeiro Elite16: all results

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