An all-American final it might have been for the beach volleyball gold at Horse Guards Parade, but the result was all too familiar - a third-straight gold for the unbelievable duo of Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor.
That's 21-straight games unbeaten at the Olympics, after a 21-16, 21-16 win over Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. "It's insane. It doesn't feel like it's real," Walsh Jennings said. "I told Misty when we were getting our medals: 'If I wake up tomorrow and we have to replay this match, I'm going to be furious.' Because it feels like I'm in a dream.
"It truly feels surreal and it didn't feel like that the first two times for whatever reason. But this, it's almost too good to be true.
"Our competitive journey is done and that's a big deal that just crushes me. But the next stage is going to be so fun. We're going to be able to be girlfriends and just share each other's families and each other's lives."
"The first two gold medals it was more about volleyball," May-Treanor added. "The friendship we had was there, but it was volleyball, volleyball, volleyball.
"This was so much more about the friendship, the togetherness, the journey -- and volleyball was just a small part of it."
Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor became the first team to win three golds; they were also the first and only team to win two-straight gold medals in beach volleyball.
"I know how hard it is to win one tournament," Kessy said of her opponents. "And the amount of tournaments they've won is crazy. For them to do it for years and years and to be on top is just really impressive. We learn a lot from them."
The seemingly unbeatable duo only got back together two years back, after taking time off for family commitments; so taking that into consideration, their achievements in London is truly remarkable. "Two years ago when we put ourselves back together we had this painting we envisioned," May-Treanor said. "And through this whole tournament I'm like, 'We're painting it, but we're not finished yet.' Well, we finally finished it and we saw ourselves exactly like this on the podium.
"We have lived so much life together in the last 12 years, but especially in the last two years,"' Walsh Jennings added. "We wanted to win a gold medal, but we wanted to do it in a certain fashion. We wanted to stay so connected and create a bond that was unbreakable."
May-Treanor, 35, admitted she would retire from the sport; however Walsh Jennings, who will turn 34 soon, wants to continue playing. "It's time for me to be a wife," May-Treanor said. "I want to be a mom. And share time with my family. All of us athletes sacrifice more on the family end than maybe we realize.
"My mind says it's time, my body says it's time and it's the right time. This is my last match. It's time for me to help the next generation."
"I'm proud to finish the journey with Misty," Walsh Jennings said. "It's been 11 years of really fun and crazy times. She's the best there ever has been. And for me to be able to play with her so long and be able to call her a friend and a sister is the biggest gift ever. And I'm glad you went out the way you did."
