Two time Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor are announcing that they’re coming back for one more run at the London games next year. The duo told Universal Sports that they would return after both took leaves for various reasons since winning the gold in Communist China in 2008.
We have the press release and video highlights of the interview.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Olympic Gold Medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Talk With Universalsports.com
First Interview for the Beach Volleyball Duo Since Recently Announcing They Will Reunite for 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England
Los Angeles – March 8, 2011 – Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh talk exclusively with Universalsports.com via video chat about their decision to team up for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The beach volleyball duo announced on March 4, 2011 via nbcsports.com that they will be playing together for a third straight Olympics with the hopes of bringing home their third gold medal. May-Treanor and Walsh took home gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
Since the 2008 season, May-Treanor and Walsh have only played in one tournament together. Walsh took a leave of absence for most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons to start a family with husband and fellow beach volleyball pro Casey Jennings. In 2009, May-Treanor missed most of the season with a ruptured Achilles. Walsh was expected to play the 2011 season with Olympian Nicole Branagh, after May-Treanor announced she was not going to compete.
Universal Sports will continue their coverage of beach volleyball throughout 2011. The network, teamed up with NBC Sports, will serve as the U.S. television home of the 2011 FIVB World Championships in Rome, Italy and will also televise the FIVB Swatch World Tour. Fans can also follow Misty and Kerri’s comeback on universalsports.com.
Interview with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh:
Following are highlights of interview with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh:
MISTY MAY-TREANOR:
May-Treanor on being back with Walsh: “If I want to stop playing, I want to stop playing with Kerri. I want to do it the right way… I wanted to come back with the person that — we did everything together.”May-Treanor on duo’s chemistry: “Our experience together, I want to say it’s going to be like riding a bike, but obviously we’re going to have to work harder. We’re older, things have changed in our lives, but definitely we know what it takes and we know what each other’s going to put into it. And it’s there, we just need to bring it out.”
May-Treanor on expectations for the duo: “We want to go out and win every tournament. We want to come back where we left off.”
KERRI WALSH:
Walsh on hearing news that May-Treanor wanted to come back: “I’m so excited and shocked.”Walsh on how difficult winning a third gold will be (they said winning in Beijing was a lot harder than Athens because of the expectations): “This is going to blow Beijing out of the water, I think for a lot of reasons. The world has gotten so much better at this sport. The physicality of the teams has just increased so much and you’re not going to have any easy games.”
Walsh on expectations for the duo: “We’re older, we have more responsibilities, but we’re expecting the same results. We’re planning on going out there and kicking butt.”
Walsh on being back with May-Treanor: “It’s like a fresh start. I honestly feel like it’s back in 2001 when we first started playing together, because it’s new and exciting. We both have so much that we want to accomplish and finish on a high note together.”
That’s it.
