In the third set of the women’s gold medal match in the 2024 Summer Olympics, Brazilian blocker Ana Patricia Ramos and Canadian blocker Brandie Wilkerson had a heated exchange. Following a missed hit by Melissa Humana-Parades, Brandie and AP exchanged some words. Fingers were wagged, forcing the down ref to get between the two. But the confrontation didn’t begin there. It began much earlier in the match.
Canada took an early 7-2 lead in the first set, forcing Brazil to take their timeout. Canada served Duda on the following play, and Brandie came through with a monster block, extending the lead to 8-2. After siding on the next possession, Brazil served at Mel, AP had an amazing dig then crushed a ball line to make it 8-3, and we saw the first demonstrative AP of the match, waving at the fans. An AP monster block shortened the lead to four at 9-13, and again AP turned to the stands for a response. Then, at 14-17, after an AP high line shot got dug by Mel, AP peeled off on a Mel high line shot and opted to pass the ball with her head. Duda’s set was true, and AP’s angle shot clipped Brandie’s finger and Brazil climbed within two, 15-17.
This marked the first huge turning point in the match, as no-touch would have been a 14-18 lead for Canada and a pretty comfortable side-out-to-victory in that first set. Instead, Brazil would even things up 17-17 and then, at 18-18, AP would take a Brandie serve off her chest (forcing a difficult Duda bump set.) AP swung deep seam finding sand, siding out, and taking a 19-18 lead, Brazil’s first lead of the match.
On two occasions in that first set, Ana Patricia clearly had plenty of time to pass the ball with her hands, but opted to use her head (or chest) instead. A fair criticism of her game, and there aren’t many, is her propensity to ‘play with her food’. The choice, in the gold medal match, down three, to pass the ball with her head, might have been seen by the Canadians as arrogant.
I throw no shade here, the greatest basketball player to ever wear Boston Celtic green is the legend, Larry Bird. Bird once played an entire game left handed (he’s a righty), claiming he was “saving his right hand for the Lakers” (who the Celtics were scheduled to play two nights later). Larry would finish that game with 47 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists in an overtime victory over the Portland Trailblazers. In Paris on Friday night, Brazil would ultimately win that first set 26-24.
At 10-10 in the second set, Mel dug a Duda line shot then swung hard angle out of the middle, her best swing of the match so far. Mel celebrated the point a bit to emphatically for Brazil’s liking, causing a quick glance of distaste from Duda.
Trailing 11-16 in the second set, AP would AGAIN chose to dig a ball with her head, this time a line shot(swing?) from Brandie. This time, however, Canada would win the point, then the set 21-12, sending it to a deciding 3rd set for the first time in a women’s gold medal match.
Fast forward to the third set. Brazil with an early 5-2 lead, AP attempts another unnecessary head dig that fails, allowing a Brandie block to close the lead to two at 5-3. On the attempted head dig by AP, analyst Kevin Wong remarks, “Sometimes its too much of a good thing… fancy play-itis.”
10-6 Brazil, 3rd set. Brandie back to serve, she aces Brazil with a killer short seam serve. As she finishes her landing, she takes a few additional steps towards Brazil’s side and lets out an emphatic scream celebration. Ana Patricia clearly takes umbrage with the emoting, staring back at Brandie as she turns back for another serve, now 10-7. Kevin Wong again with the insight, “Ana Patricia did not like that Brandie yelled in celebration at the end of that play.”
10-7 Brazil: Duda sides out and Ana Patricia is big mad. This time, the great Chris Marlowe with the call, “and Ana Patricia glaring at Brandie through the net… and she’s telling the down ref, ‘hey, shut her up, she’s bugging me.”
11-7 Brazil: A Mel swing appears to go long, and Ana Patricia continues to glare at Brandie. This time, Brandie takes the bait and steps to the net. Yelling, finger wagging, posturing ensues to which Marlowe announces, “and look at this, Brandie and Ana Patricia going at it through the net. Look at this! You don’t see this much in volleyball.”
In the ensuing moments, Brandie is issued a yellow card. The stadium DJ decides to have some fun and plays a few bars of the Beatles “Imagine.” Three of the four players get a smile out of the joke, with Ana Patricia as stoic as ever. It is determined there was no touch on the swing and Brazil’s lead extends to four points at 12-8. Canada is down too much, too late. Brazil sides out to a 15-10 gold medal and the match is over.
Following the win, with Brazil celebrating, the Canadians let them have their moment and shake hands with the refs and line judges, then return to their bench. Brazil, in a reasonable amount of time, do their good sportsmanship thing and head over to Canada for handshakes and hugs.
A spicy match over, Brazil with a well-deserved gold medal. And have we seen the emergence of a new villain in beach volleyball? Would things have been as hunky-dory had Canada ultimately overcame Brazil and taken gold? We’ll never know, but I do know that this kind of fire, this kind of spice, is great for the sport. AP “played with her food” in the gold medal match, at the highest level in the sport, and came away victorious against a Canadian team playing some of the highest level volleyball we’ve ever seen. AP earned that, Duda earned that. Parabens, ladies.
Chris DeTurk – August 13, 2024
Bet The Beach 
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