Ana Patricia & Duda Lead Brazil to Olympic Glory: A Historic Victory in Beach Volleyball at Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games became a true celebration of beach volleyball, as the world’s finest teams gathered beneath the Eiffel Tower from July 27 to August 10 to showcase the beauty and intensity of the sport. The stunning venue, located in the heart of Paris, earned its reputation as one of the most breathtaking Olympic locations, while the passionate crowds and exceptional athletes delivered top-tier matches, making this tournament an unforgettable experience for fans and players alike.
Brazil’s Dominance Returns: Ana Patricia & Duda Shine
The #1 women’s beach volleyball duo in the world, Ana Patricia Ramos & Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) of Brazil, lived up to their billing and claimed their first-ever Olympic gold medal, returning Brazil to the top of the podium for the first time since Sandra Pires & Jackie Silva won gold in Atlanta 1996. Their victory marked the final missing piece in their already illustrious careers, alongside their FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship title in 2022, Youth Olympic gold in 2014, two U21 World Championship titles, and numerous professional beach volleyball trophies.
Road to Gold: A Journey of Determination
This marked the second Olympic appearance for Ana Patricia & Duda, who previously competed at Tokyo 2020 but with different partners. Their victory at Paris 2024 was a historic first together, and they entered the semifinals without losing a single set in their five matches up to that point.
In Pool A, the Brazilian pair eliminated Marwa Abdelhady & Doaa Elghobashy from Egypt, Liliana Fernandez & Paula Soria from Spain, and Valentina Gottardi & Marta Menegatti from Italy. Following that, they triumphed in the Round of 16 against Akiko Hasegawa & Miki Ishii of Japan and in the quarterfinals against Tina Graudina & Anastasija Samoilova from Latvia.
The Thrilling Final
In the final stretch of their journey to gold, Ana Patricia & Duda had to fight through three intense sets. After losing their first set of the tournament in the semifinal against Mariafe Artacho Del Solar & Taliqua Clancy of Australia, the Brazilians showed incredible resilience, battling back to win 2-1 (20-22, 21-15, 15-12). Ana Patricia contributed a remarkable 31 points to the victory.
In the other semifinal, Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson of Canada came from behind to defeat Tanja Huberli & Nina Brunner of Switzerland, 2-1 (14-21, 22-20, 15-12), securing their spot in the final.
The gold medal match was the first-ever three-set final in women’s Olympic beach volleyball history, where Ana Patricia & Duda emerged victorious 2-1 (26-24, 12-21, 15-10) against Melissa & Brandie. The Canadian duo had to settle for silver, a historic first for Canada in Olympic women’s beach volleyball, but an incredible achievement nonetheless.
In the final, Ana Patricia scored 23 points and Duda added 21, while Brandie led her team with 30 points. After the victory, Ana Patricia shared her emotions: “We imagined what it would be like to win an Olympic gold, but we couldn’t fully grasp it. It’s special—like a dream come true!”
Duda added, “I believe I am an Olympic champion now because I have the medal. It’s unbelievable to win an Olympic gold medal 10 years after we won the Youth Olympic gold.” Reflecting on Brazil’s history in the sport, Duda continued, “It’s been many years since Brazil last won an Olympic gold in beach volleyball, but now we’re here, writing our own history.”
Switzerland’s Bronze and More History
Tanja Huberli & Nina Brunner of Switzerland earned the bronze medal with a commanding 2-0 victory (21-17, 21-15) over Mariafe & Taliqua in the third-place match. This marked Switzerland’s second consecutive bronze in Olympic women’s beach volleyball, following the podium finish of Joana Heidrich (now Mader) & Anouk Verge-Depre at Tokyo 2020. This also marked Europe’s third Olympic beach volleyball gold medal.
After their victory, Ana Patricia & Duda were chosen to carry Brazil’s flag at the closing ceremony, making history as the first-ever duo of women to lead Brazil at an Olympic closing event.
With 24 teams representing 17 countries from all five continental federations, the Paris 2024 Olympic beach volleyball tournament truly highlighted the global appeal and athleticism of the sport, leaving fans around the world in awe of the fierce competition and memorable moments.
