Another Gold for Walsh/May-Treanor in Beijing!

 KT Tape athlete Kerri Walsh and her partner Misty May-Treanor know what it’s like to stand at the top of the podium wearing gold in Beijing, China.  But three years, two babies and many injuries later, Kerri and Misty won their first Gold since their Olympic medals at the FIVB World Tour’s Grand Slam in Beijing, China!  Check out the article from Kerri Walsh’s website on their latest championship win together: Beijing was good to them in 2008, and the Chinese capital remained kind to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh nearly three years later. The last time May-Treanor and Walsh won an international tournament, it was at Chaoyang Park in Beijing, site of the beach volleyball competition at the 2008 Olympics. The Americans returned this week for the FIVB World Tour's first Grand Slam of the season, and leave with their first international gold medal since 2008. After dropping their first match of the tournament on Wednesday, the two-time Olympic gold medalists and three-time world champions won six straight to claim their 36th career FIVB gold medal. It didn't come easy, though, as surprise finalists Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler of Germany -- the 31st seed -- stretched Saturday's match to one hour, 35 minutes before succumbing in three games (21-14, 24-26, 15-9). Holtwick and Semmler enjoyed a remarkable run to the final, as they started the tournament with two losses in pool play on Wednesday. But they won five straight to get to their second career World Tour final. The run included wins over the Nos. 1, 2 and 6 seeds. The gold is the second medal in three events this season for May-Treanor and Walsh, who hadn't played together since April 30 in Sanya, China, when May-Treanor sprained her MCL. They opened the season with a silver in Brasilia, Brazil, and placed fourth in Sanya after retiring midway through their semifinal match. Beijing's fifth-seeded duo had to come back on their third-seeded compatriots Jen Kessy and April Ross earlier Saturday in the semifinals, as they dropped the first set before taking the next two (17-21, 21-13, 15-13). It marked the first time the top two U.S. teams faced each other since 2008; May-Treanor and Walsh now lead the head-to-head series 22-3 overall and 6-0 in FIVB matches. For more photos and info on Kerri and Misty’s Championship match, click here.