Pablo Herrera (pictured), an Athens 2004 Olympic silver medal winner, will be serving Saturday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with Adrian Gavira.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 6, 2016 - Six men’s and six women’s contests will be played here Saturday and early Sunday to open the Beach Volleyball competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games highlighted by matches featuring Olympic medal winners Alison Cerutti of Brazil, Pablo Herrera of Spain and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States on the center court at the “Coliseu on Copacabana”.
Alison, the silver medal winner from the London 2012 Olympic Games with Emanuel Rego, teams this time in the Rio 2016 Summer Games with Bruno Oscar Schmidt as the top-seeded Brazilians meet Pool A opponent Josh Binstock and Sam Schachter of Canada in the second of 12 men’s and women’s matches on the opening day schedule.
Herrera, who claimed the silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics with Javier Bosma, and Adrian Gavira play the last men’s match of the day in a Pool F contest against Austrians Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl. The Spaniards are one of six men’s and women’s teams that competed together in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Walsh Jennings, a three-time Olympic gold medal winner with Misty May-Treanor, and current partner April Ross play the last match on the opening day schedule in a “midnight” Pool C meeting with Mariafe Artacho and Nicole Laird of Australia.
The reigning FIVB Beach Volleyball world champions will be in action Saturday. Prior to Alison and Bruno’s podium-topping performance at last July’s world championships in The Hague, Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas of Brazil won the women’s world title. The Brazilian open play Saturday against Barbora Hermannova and Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic.
Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of The Netherlands, the 2013 FIVB world champions, will also be playing Saturday with an opening match against Dmitri Barsouk and Nikita Liamin of Russia. Barsouk played in the Beijing 2008 Olympics with Igor Kolodinsky. Here is Saturday’s schedule (click on the match for previews).
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