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Walsh makes history by winning in Dubai
American Kerri Walsh equals record for maximum volleyball tournament wins by taking world tour title.
- By K.R. Nayar, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:02 October 13, 2008
- Action from the Jumeirah Park Beach volleyball tournament. American pair Kerri and Nicole won the championship.
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
Dubai: Kerri Walsh made history by winning the Jumeirah Park Beach volleyball tournament and equalling the record for most Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) titles on Saturday night.
Partnering Nicole Branagh, they beat follow Americans Jen Boss and April Ross to take the Swatch FIVB World Tour event 21-18, 21-19 in a final, which lasted 46 minutes.
"It's a great moment, not because I equalled a record but because we won. Every time I win a tournament it gets so special for me," said the six feet, three-inch Walsh.
She equalled her long time partner Misty May-Treanor's record and together they won 35 FIVB title.
Thirty-year-old Walsh, who hails from San Jose, California, is known as 'Six-feet of Sunshine'.
She won the first women's beach volleyball Olympic gold medal for the United States in the 2004 Athens Olympics along with Misty May.
Walsh was full of praise for the performance of her partner Branagh in Saturday's final.
She said: "We played steady volleyball throughout. We played some very tough competitions, especially in the last two matches.
"We did not flatter in top serves and in our big blocks. We stayed really steady. We kept having fun."
The American said the key of her success was hardwork.
She said: "My fitness is nothing but the result of a lot of hard work. I play a lot of volleyball and shed a lot of weight. It is a nine to five job for me."
Sporting family
Walsh hails from a sporting family as her father Tim Walsh played minor league basketball for the Oakland A team while her mother Margie was also a volleyball player.
Walsh's idols are tennis player Andre Agassi and recently deceased actor Paul Newman.
"They are greats in their professions and has inspired me," said Walsh, who is married to Casey Jennings, one of the top men's volleyball players on the Tour.
Walsh has won many accolades in her career - for the third straight season she has been named the FIVB's best hitter, best blocker and sportsperson and bagged the 2007 best offensive and most outstanding player awards.
But Walsh has one more ambition.
She said: "I want to be a mother and still come back and keep playing."
Results
- Women's final: Kerri Walsh and Nicole Branagh bt Jen Boss and April Ross 21-18, 21-19 (All from US)
- Men's final: Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schull of Netherlands bt Mischa Urbatzka and Jonas Reckermann of Germany 12-21, 21-16, 15-10
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