Los Angeles 1984- David defeats Goliath!
Despite the Soviet-led boycott, the 1984 Olympic Volleyball Tournament was a success: the USSR, Bulgaria, Poland, and Cuba (the originally qualified teams) were replaced by South Korea, Tunisia, Italy, and the PRC. The USSR had one of the best volleyball teams in the world in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Soviet men’s volleyball team won the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the World Cup in 1981. On October 15, 1982, in Buenos Aires, the USSR demolished Brazil (15-3, 15-4, 15-5) for the men’s World Championship.
The United States upset Brazil 3-0 in the final of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Volleyball Tournament. It was a momentous victory for the American people, who invented volleyball in 1895.
América -dark horse of the championship- had won the opening match against Argentina 3-1 (15-6, 15-7, 10-15, 15-8). The South American team had worked since 1977 under the tutelage of Young Wang Sohn, who had been one of the best coaches in Korea. In the early 1980s, the Argentine men’s volleyball team made numerous tours of Tokyo, Nagoya, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Bremen, Leipzig, Paris, Sofia, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest, Rome, Milan, Prague and Rio de janeiro. In 1982, the Latin American team finished third in the World Championship. In 1983, Argentina also won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. In this tournament, Argentina beat the United States for the bronze medal. The next day, America beat Tunisia 3-0 (15-3, 15-2,15-3). In a subsequent match, Team USA defeated bronze medalist Team South Korea at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, India. The score was 15-13, 15-9, 15-6.
On August 6, 1984, the United States men’s team suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Brazilians – who had won the Pan American title and the South American Championship. In the second round, Canada lost to the United States. In the final match, the US team showed all its cards. On August 11, America, under the brilliant play of Charles Frederick “Karch” Kiraly, demolished Brazil 15-6, 15-6, 15-7. David defeated Goliath! For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the American team won the volleyball championship. His progress in volleyball was spectacular. They finished 13th at the FIVB World Championships in 1982, behind the USSR, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Bulgaria, Poland, China, South Korea, Czechoslovakia (now the Slovak Republic), Cuba, Canada, and East Germany…
Seoul 1988- USA vs. USSR
From 1985 to 1988, the US men’s volleyball team won nearly every major international title. They won the 1985 FIVB World Cup and the 1987 Pan American Games. In 1986, this team also won the World Championship in Paris, France. In the final they beat the Soviet Union – which had boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games – 3-1 (12-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-12). On October 2, 1988, the United States made Olympic history by defeating the USSR (now Russia) 13-15, 15-10, 15-4, 15-8 in the final match of the Olympic Games in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. The United States successfully defended its Olympic title. The most valuable player was Charles Frederick “Karch” Kiraly, the best-known face in American volleyball.
Beijing 2008-The confirmation of world class status
The US Olympic Committee had a big win at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, when the US volleyball team won the Olympic gold medal. The United States men’s national volleyball team, in its third Olympic final, defeated 2004 Olympic champion and 2007 world champion Brazil in four games to win the Olympic title. William Reid Priddy, a volleyball player from Virginia, said: “My first emotion is shock. This is extremely emotional for many reasons. We’ve all invested our lives in this sport, and hearing our anthem, that’s something you think about when you are 12 years old”.
Hugh McCutcheon, the man who led the United States to victory at the 2008 Olympics, was born and raised in New Zealand. Until 2007, he was an unknown coach. During his childhood, he enjoyed volleyball at school and later qualified as a member of the New Zealand junior national team. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on volleyball.
Olympic Champions are: Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, California), Lloyd James Ball (Fort Wayne, Indiana), Gabriel “Gabe” Gardner (San Diego, California), Sean Michael Rooney (Wheaton, Illinois), Clayton “Clay” Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii), David Cameroon Lee (Alpine, California), Riley Salmon (Amarillo, Texas), Thomas John Hoff (Chicago, Illinois), Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Illinois), William Reid Priddy (Richmond, Virginia) , Ryan Madsen Millar (San Dimas, Calif.), Richard “Rich” Lambourne (Louisville, Kentucky).
The United States is the only country to win Olympic titles in two different centuries: Los Angeles (1984/20th century), South Korea (1988/20th century) and Beijing (2008/21st century)…