Rio de Janeiro, August 7, 2016 – Canada’s Jamie-Lyn Broder and Kristina Valjas began their Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games campaign by beating Italy’s Marta Menegatti and Laura Giombini 2-1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-9) at the Copacabana Beach Arena on Sunday.
Here’s what they said after the match….
Jamie-Lyn Broder, Canada
“I think we had a little bit of nerves coming out of the traps as it was our first Olympic experience but once we settled in we got comfortable and controlled the ball on our side and stopped making as many errors, the game came to us.
“Kristina and I are a very close team, very strong and together. That is what I think got us through that game staying patient and staying positive and knowing we were there supporting one another through the match.
“We really just want to enjoy our experience out there and represent our families and our country and ourselves well and I think we did that.”
Laura Giombini, Italy
“I don’t really remember when I arrived but I think it was two days ago, no three actually, very early in the morning. It was totally unexpected, but the Olympics are any athletes dream and my dream.
“It is spectacular to play here with these fans and the chance to show what we can do.”
Marta Menegatti, Italy
“We have had to work out how to play together very quickly and how we can help each other and make sure we are as aggressive as possible on each ball. We’ve had three training sessions together, which isn’t a lot. I have to compliment Laura, who has been fantastic in her first Olympic experience.”