PARIS (AP) — Monica De Gennaro of Italy made three previous trips to the Olympics only to leave empty-handed each time.
Finally, at age 37, she’s going home with the gold.
Italy beat the defending champion U.S. team Sunday to win gold in women’s volleyball at the Paris Olympics.
“It feels special,” she said. “It’s the dream of every player to play in the final of the Olympics and win it. It is something unique. We worked so hard for so many years to be able to reach this final.”
When Italy scored the match point to end it, many of the players collapsed to the court, then began hugging in a huge scrum. Together they tossed De Gennaro into the air.
The victory came in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant tournament having lost just one set.
It’s the first medal in the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the Americans home in disappointment after they won their first Olympic title in Tokyo. It’s a huge win for the Italians, whose previous best Olympic finish was fifth.
“It means everything,” Alessia Orro said. “There’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, many sacrifices and many disappointments that have brought us this far. They made us take this path, they made us win the gold.”
The victory came in front of a boisterous crowd at South Paris Arena, where many fans waved Italian and U.S. flags. People danced and cheered as the Italians romped to the win.
The U.S. was up 6-5 in the third set before Italy scored the next seven points to take a 12-6 lead. The Americans fought back, scoring three of the next four points.
The U.S. got within 19-16 before Italy closed it out with a 6-1 run capped by the match point by Paola Egonu, who had a dominant performance, scoring 22 points.
“It’s magnificent,” Italy’s Caterina Bosetti said. “It’s the match that I’ve been waiting for all my life.”
Myriam Sylla beamed while wearing her gold medal as she spoke to reporters after the win. The 29-year-old, who was a…
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