By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter
LONDON, ENGLAND – Brazil has added to its London 2012 Olympic medals with a hard-earned gold for the women’s volleyball team. Time Brasil has managed to push its way up to 21st in the overall leaderboard, and now has fifteen medals – equaling the country’s performance in Beijing 2008.
The gold of the day came as captain Fabiana Claudino led Brazil’s women’s volleyball team to victory against the United States. Despite losing the first set, the Brazilians managed to fight back and defend their Olympic title – defeating the Americans in four sets: 11-25, 25-17, 25-20 and 25-17.
Brazilians’ hopes of gold in the football (soccer) however were dashed as Mexico went on to stun fans at London’s Wembley Arena, beating the Brazil men’s Seleção team 2-1 and leaving them with second place on the podium.
Esquiva Falcão also missed out on gold in the middleweight (75kg) boxing Final, taking silver after Japan’s Ryota Murata won by just a point in decision.
“I want to thank all of Brazil for supporting me. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but there’s a next time. It’s not over… the road is long,” Falcão said after the fight, clearly bitterly disappointed at coming so close to claiming a gold medal.
Brazil is now focusing on Sunday’s men’s volleyball Final, where they hope to deny Russia a first Olympic gold in the discipline. The Final kicks off at 9AM Rio time on Sunday – the last day of the competition.
Brazil has now achieved fifteen medals – three gold, four silver and eight bronze – in eight disciplines: boxing, football, gymnastics, judo, sailing, swimming, volleyball and beach volleyball. Time Brasil ended the last Olympics, in Beijing in 2008, in 23rd place with a total of fifteen medals: three gold, four silver and eight bronze.
Sunday will also see the London 2012 Closing Ceremony, and Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes will be there to receive the Olympic Flag for Rio 2016, which is scheduled to run between August 5th and 21st, 2016. The Games will be the first to be hosted in South America, and only the third in the south hemisphere – after Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.
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