Shattering bronze medal match ends Aussie pair Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy's campaign
As the sun set peacefully over the Eiffel Tower, the scene in the temporary stadium below the Paris icon was anything but.
Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, were in a fight against Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli for a bronze medal.
It was over in two sets, with Brunner and Hüberli clinching their place on the podium after dominating Artacho del Solar and Clancy from the first whistle.
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"A tough one to swallow, but at the end of the day we've had a great two weeks and we got to experience playing in front of this iconic venue. We can't complain," Artacho del Solar told Nine after the match.
Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy couldn't quite find their footing in their do-or-die match against the Swiss. AP
"We know we are a great team and we're capable of being at the top.
"We've had some great battles, some great games, and we're proud of the quality of volleyball we were able to deliver throughout the two weeks."
Clancy said the loss "hurts".
"But I know in a day or two I will be really proud of what we achieved," she said, before vowing to return in LA.
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"It will definitely keep that burn inside of me. I still love the sport. I'm just grateful - these opportunities rarely come, and we've been able to experience semi finals twice, which is just bloody incredible."
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It was a tense first set for the Aussies, who notably won silver in the same event at Tokyo 2020.
After 22 minutes of back and forth, Switzerland took out the first set 21-17. They also took out the bronze three years ago, but it was Joana Mäder (née Heidrich) and Anouk Vergé-Dépré who made up the duo that year.
The Aussies' battle for bronze stuttered from the get-go, with Artacho del Solar in particular struggling to make an impact against Brunner and Hüberli.
The latter successfully landed 13/22 attacks across the opening set, with a number of unforced errors proving costly to Artacho del Solar and Clancy.
Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar during the bronze match. Getty
The second set seemed to be over before it truly began, with Hüberli's impressive acrobatic move – she launched the ball backwards over her head, and all Clancy could do was deflect it over to the umpire's chair – setting the tone early.
Although Australia did keep Switzerland on their toes by pulling a few points back, they couldn't quite gain the momentum needed to make up for their first set, and Brunner and Hüberli were confidently on a roll.
Artacho del Solar and Clancy's bronze medal campaign ultimately ended with a whimper, with Switzerland securing their shiny new hardware when they won the second set 21-15.
