Walsh, May-Treanor take another shot at Olympics
The greatest partnership in beach volleyball history might have lost its way but not its belief.
Kerri Walsh, the 6-foot-3 power hitter from Saratoga, Calif., insists the brand name she has established with partner Misty May-Treanor is strong, with the London Olympics three weeks away.
“Now it is up to us to go and show that,” Walsh said recently.
May-Treanor and Walsh moved closer to their goal Friday in Gstaad, Switzerland, advancing to today’s semis in the final world tour event before the 2012 Summer Games.
It will be the pair’s second semifinal appearance in the past three tournaments after losing unceremoniously in the second round twice to start the year.
Now the duo has a chance this weekend to rediscover the magic that led them to consecutive Olympic titles in 2004 and ’08. They have reunited for a farewell tour they hope ends with another stardust memory on the sands of London.
They won’t enter Olympics as favorites. They are ranked third behind No. 1 Larissa Franca and Juliana Silva of Brazil and No. 2 Xue Chen and Zhang Xi of China.
“We lost the essence together,” Walsh said. “So the next couple weeks are getting back to who we are and who we were from the start.”
After May-Treanor, 34, ruptured an Achilles tendon while training for “Dancing With the Stars” and retired, Walsh found another partner in Nicole Branagh. But when May-Treanor decided to return, Walsh dumped Branagh.
“It’s Misty,” Walsh said. “She makes the world spin.”
But for much of the season it has spun out of control.
The partners hired a sports psychologist to help them navigate their final campaign together. May-Treanor said she’ll retire for good after London. Walsh wants to go for a fifth Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“You don’t have time to sugarcoat anything,” Walsh said. “We’re sick of playing like this … so it is going to be fixed.”
She added that losing this year has felt like an essential part of their journey to London.
“But at this point in time it’s inhibiting it a bit,” Walsh said. “I feel like we’re so close to magic.”