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Brazil's Pires and Samuel win women's beach volleyball bronze
= = SYDNEY, Sept 25 (AFP) - Sandra Pires and Adriana Samuel of Brazil won bronze in the women's Olympic beach volleyball Monday, overpowering Japan's Yukiko Takahashi and Mika Saiki to win in straight sets. The Brazilian pair quickly jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set and pushed on to win it 12-4 before closing out the match in the second set 12-6 to secure their bronze. Japan scrapped to save the first two match points before Adriana Samuel spiked to secure the bronze on the Brazilians' third try. Headed into the bronze medal match, Takahashi and Saiki had never beaten Pires and Samuels and they never looked like troubling the Brazilians at the Bondi Beach stadium. Pires and Samuel, who are both from Rio de Janeiro, were on opposing teams in the 1996 final in Atlanta where Pires teamed up with Jackie Silva to defeat Samuel and Monica Rodrigues and win beach volleyball's inaugural gold medal. But the duo haven't won a tour title on the FIVB World Tour since winning two shortly after their pairing in 1998. Brazil's other women's pair, No. 2 seeds Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede, are due to take on No. 1 seeds Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia in the gold medal match later Monday.
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