US Men Take Gold in Beach Volleyball

The weather was more like California than China, and Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser played like they were right at home today in the Olympic beach volleyball final. In blazing sunshine at the Beijing Games venue nowhere near a real beach, Rogers and Dalhausser won the gold medal by beating Fabio and Marcio of Brazil 23-21, 17-21, 15-4.

Dalhausser blocked four straight Brazilian shots in the deciding set to turn it into a rout. "When he gets on a roll, I just pull out my pompons and give a little cheer and keep smiling and clapping," Rogers said. "That's what good blockers do." The American win came a day after Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor fought driving rain to win their second straight gold for the US women. "We're in good company," Rogers said. (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)