Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson earned silver in the women’s beach volleyball final on Friday after dropping a 2-1 (26-24, 12-21, 15-10) decision to Brazil’s Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos (Duda) Lisboa at the Paris Games.
It was the first time a Canadian women’s team reached the Olympic podium in the sport. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson shared the previous Canadian best after fifth-place results in 2021 with different partners at the Tokyo Games.
The first Olympic final appearance for both teams came in a late-night start at the picturesque Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Both teams had set points in the opener but Brazil finally converted on its fourth opportunity.
In the second set, Humana-Paredes made a dig and followed with an emphatic conversion to give Canada an 11-10 lead entering the technical timeout.
HISTORY FOR MELISSA & BRANDIE 🥈<br><br>Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson win silver in beach volleyball, Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in the women’s event 🇨🇦<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MedalMoments?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MedalMoments</a> presented by <a href=”https://twitter.com/petrocanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@petrocanada</a> <a href=”https://t.co/T0IgAfGuXN”>pic.twitter.com/T0IgAfGuXN</a>
—@CBCOlympics
Canada continued to apply pressure thanks to its strong defensive effort and effective net play. A Humana-Paredes ace made it 18-11 and Canada rolled into the tiebreaker.
Brazil responded early in the deciding set, jumping out to a 10-6 lead. The players had words a few points later and an on-court official needed to help defuse the argument.
The on-site DJ got in on the fun by playing John Lennon’s “Imagine” on the loudspeakers.
On the second match point, a Ramos spike deflected off Wilkerson’s hands and the celebration was on for hundreds of vocal Brazilian supporters throughout the sellout crowd.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, both from Toronto, reached the final after a comeback victory a day earlier against Tanja Hueberli and Nina Brunner of Switzerland. They saved a match ball in the three-set semifinal win.
Once there, they reeled off three straight victories to set up a showdown with the top-ranked Brazilians, who beat the Canadians in a tightly contested Pan Am Games final last year in Santiago, Chile.
Earlier Friday, Hueberli and Brunner defeated Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-17, 21-15 for the bronze medal.
Canada’s only other Olympic podium appearance came in 1996 when John Child and Mark Heese won bronze at the Atlanta Games.