Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal winners Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst (Germany) are today’s featured team in the Rio 2016 photo series. They defeated the team of Agatha and Barbara Seixas de Freitas (Brazil) 21-18, 21-14 to win the gold.

Ludwig/Walkenhorst only lost one set on their road to the gold medal. The team went 3-0 in Pool D to advance to the Round of 16 where they defeated the Swiss team of Isabelle Forrer and Anouk Verge-Depre.  In the quarterfinals, they beat Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan in straight sets. By the time Ludwig and Walkenhorst met Talita and Larissa in the semi-finals, the German team had found its groove, winning in convincing fashion, 2-0.

Rio 2016 is a photo series of the top beach volleyball teams competing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In 2013, the FIVB returned to U.S. soil for the first time in 10 years. I have been fortunate enough to attend the Long Beach, CA event for the past three years and watch the best beach volleyball players in the world.

Images are from the 2014 FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam and 2015 FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam.

For more images of Laura Ludwig, visit http://photos.sos-photography.net/keyword/laura%20ludwig

For more images of Kira Walkenhorst, visit http://photos.sos-photography.net/keyword/kira%20walkenhorst